Ode to the Sunflowers
by Laijon Liu 20131224
O, Shine! Blaze! and Burn!
You golden glorious flowers!
Brighten up this gray canvas now
with your piercing sunbeams!
Stroke by stroke, a passionate verse
bloom and bloom, heart at its strive
there you are, hanging on the museum
wall
Seeds, seeds, and your seeds!
your countenance full of hope!
Your curled burdened stems, and
drooping heads
attending potato eaters and helpless
women.
Christ served the broken and the lowly
glad tidings gushing into coal mine and
brothel
Your tranquil lamplight glowing in a
shelter,
I see your gaze, and I feel your warmth.
Ah Light! What’s your fairest color?
Yes! It’s Yellow! Orange! and Amber!
Transcending light! Fair radiant aura!
Your gold image enlightens and dazzles!
Morning sun torches its daybreak sky
Setting sun shepherds His wheatfield
and sower
Golden bloated moon, spinning gilded
stars
stirring up the night heavens of cold!
Heavy laden heart, worn out boots
A renegade son trudges on his new
pilgrim road
a short journey to love is long and
weary.
Peach tree and dry willows are in fire
autumn meadow and haystacks melt
standing on a dirt pathway, your soul
cries out:
“Believe! My friend! We are doing
something great!”
Your arms like marigold petals at sun’s
eye
a bundle of young suns blooming, and
dying
youth for greatness like morning dew
fervent desire, beauty in light
all burnt out, and gone too soon
ah, nothing fades away in your earthen
pot
What is true image of life? Love? And
Art?
Is it meditative imagination or
impulsive depiction?
Pigment mixed with oil, color varies
thoughts and emotion tunes on palette
Light, night, energy, and chaos
figures, portraits, blossom and trees
Aren't they all exist in heartbeat?
Yeah! Heartbeat, pulse, and gleaming
rays
so bright, electric and energetic
so warm, generous and welcome
how fair you are, and how friendly you are!
There you were, standing in the street
corner
alone painting [1] your dreamy house yellow
there you were, in your yellow house
alone
setting the beds and the seats.
Dream blossoms in your yellow house
buds and buds bloom in bright mellow
light
the tan sunflowers set in front of
buttered wall
“O Come and adore, you children of the sun,
Your father does not abandon you!
Your brothers do not abandon you!
In this divine light the living and dead abide!”
Note:
I love Van Gogh's Sunflowers, there's something very spiritual and religious in the sunflowers, especially the yellow over yellow piece, graceful butter light and tan sunflowers in color harmony that symbolizes some sort of Christian theme of God and men or Father and son relationship as Michelangelo's painting, below. Only there's no distance btwn sunlight and the sunflowers.
Since last year, I've studied his letters, books, Taschen paintings catalog book and bought some dvd programs about his art and life and this week eventually written down above 8 segments of my feeling and thought to honor this great tormented pilgrim.
[1] According to the books that Mr. Van Gogh rent a yellow house, and to me an artist is always working, painting, doing something that often attracts people's attention, so I romanticize the image of Vincent painting his house yellow.
