A Favorite Zen Poem

Just wanted to share one of my favorite poems.

CRIMSON-WEAVE CARPET

Crimson-weave carpet,

silk reeled off select cocoons and boiled in clear water,
sun-bleached and steeped in dyes of crimdigo flower,

dyes turning thread crimson, indigo depths of crimson,
then woven to grace the Hall of Widespread Fragrance.

The Hall of Widespread Fragrance is a hundred feet long,
and the carpet's crimson weave will stretch end to end,

its iridescence soft and deep, its fragrance everywhere,
plush weave and mirage blossoms beyond all compare,

awaiting beautiful women who come to sing and dance,
gauze stockings and embroidered slippers sinking deep.

Even those carpets from T'ai-yuan seem stiff and rough,
and Ch'eng-tu rugs thin, their embroidered flowers cold:

they'll never compare to these, so warm and sumptuous
and sent each year from Hsuan-chou in the tenth month.

Hsuan-chou's grand Prefect orders a new pattern woven,
saying they'll spare no effort on the emperor's behalf,

and then a hundred reverent men haul it into place,
the weave so thick and silk so lavish it can't be rolled up.

Can you fathom what it means, O prefect of Hsuan-chou:
for ten feet of carpet
a thousand taels of silk?

Floors don't feel the cold- people do.  People need warmth.
No more floors dressed in clothes stolen from the people.

--Po Chu-I (772-846AD)

About the book...

I am currently dealing with no less than my fourth graphic artist.  It has been an ongoing struggle.  The book that I'm currently attempting to publish has been completed (in the content sense) for some time.  In fact, most of it is older material that I finally organized and polished.  Originally the goal was to publish the book in February 2009... that's what the first draft of the Title Page said anyway.  Obviously, that didn't happen. 

Part of the hold up has been dealing with artists in an attempt to get a book cover I can live with.  My first artist was a total flake that offered to help and never came through.  The second artist was referred to me by someone and I saw some examples of her work.  We had a lunch meeting where we talked about the book and ideas for the cover.  She took notes and listened attentively.  She said she'd have a draft back to me within two weeks.  That was months ago.

The third artist was also a referral.  She seemed professional; she had a contract for me to sign and a portfolio.  We talked about the design (she also took notes).  I thought we had a pretty clear understanding of what I was after.  We signed the contract.  I paid half the fee and we agreed to meet in one week for a review of the first draft.  We met.  I gave her some input and she said she'd have a final draft completed in another week.  She canceled that meeting; sick.  The next week she was unavailable.  I've emailed her twice for status updates since... no reply.  That was weeks ago.  So, she has half the money for the job and I have nothing.

That leaves me at artist #4.  So far we've been in fairly regular communication since I told him what I wanted.  I think he's beginning to understand what I need and has given me several rough drafts for evaluation.  None have been exactly what I want, but they have gotten progressively closer.  That seems like a good thing.  I'm hoping that he can give me something completed by the end of October.

But, just in case, I've contacted Artist #5 as a pre-emptive measure.

Update on Wednesday, October 28, 2009 at 10:45AM by R Keith Smith

Reviewed the latest designs this morning and I think it's finally getting close to what I had in mind.  The artwork and layout is great and with some minor tweaking of the text I think I will finally have a book cover!