Light. This was a theme for my recent trip to Asia. I sensed that this was of God, and wrote about that the start of my current adventure. That is recorded in a blog post called ‘Daughters of Light’.
And now, at the end of the trip, God has brought this theme to mind again.
As I draft this post, I’m on a plane bound for Australia. Again. In my mind, I look back over the many people and places that have filled my days these last few weeks. It’s a privileged life I lead, and one which I don’t take for granted. I hope and pray that I have been an encouragement to my friends as well as to others I met along the way. I sincerely hope that I have scattered light wherever I travelled.
I am not allowed my cabin bag for half an hour or so because I am seated in an emergency exit row. Mindlessly, I pull the China Southern magazine from the seat pocket in front of me and flip it open it. The first article my eyes light upon is a lovely poem.
My heart stirs. I think of the way that ‘light’ has been the main theme this whole trip long. I sense God’s touch in the fact that I am finishing the trip with this poem on the same topic … and now incorporating flowers too.
The Poem Translated
“Who opens the windows of heaven, scattering holy light below?
“Who lays out the firmament of the heavens, white breaking waves billowing at his word?
“Who directs dreams, crashing through floating clouds?
“Whose words ring in my ears, truth warming my heart?
——
“Cotton flower, you reflect the sun’s rays, dancing on the clouds,
“Cotton flower, you adorn this home in the sky, bursting into bloom in the ocean of spirits.
——
“Who sings into being the destiny of the sky?
“Who carries the dreams of our lives?
“Whose smile makes us intoxicated?
“Who carries us along towards revival?”
(A translation of a Chinese poem by Chen Cheng, published in the China Southern inflight magazine, September 2019.)
The Meaning
The poem was written by a poet who loves his country. He writes of a flower called ‘kapok’. It is the city flower of Guangzhou, the city in which this airline hubs. It is commonly referred to as ‘the cotton tree’. Actually, the flower is bright red and bursts into bloom in spring, filling the city with colour and beauty. At first, I reason that the author is particularly thinking of the everyday name of this flower, ‘the cotton flower’, and likening it to the white fluffy clouds beneath our plane which really do resemble cotton balls. Then, as the sun sets and the clouds turn red, I can see that the brilliant red flower image works too.
The poem, however, could well point to the author of light, creator of flowers, and inspirer of dreams. I pray it in Chinese, because that is more beautiful that the English translation provided in the magazine. I have suggested an alternative translation above because, translation snob that I am, I wasn’t satisfied with the official version.
Questions and Answers
Who opens the windows of heaven, scattering holy light below? The poet expects the answer to be the city flower of Guangzhou, but I suggest that there is one far greater.
Jesus called himself ‘The Light of the World’ (John 8:12). He calls us, his people, to reflect his light, drawing attention to him in the world in which we live (Matthew 5:16). I am reminded of a song called 将天敞开，你的荣耀降下来 (May the Heavens Open and Your Glory Descend), which Chinese Christians sing. Look it up online if you’re interested – it is sung by the group 赞美之泉 Streams of Praise.
Who directs dreams? Throughout Scripture, we read of God directing and his servants interpreting literal dreams. Most of us have experienced him directing our figurative dreams too.
Whose truths, whispered in our ears, warms our hearts? Who carries directs our destinies? Whose smile intoxicates us in a far more profound way than mere alcohol? Who refreshes and renews us?
Back to ‘normal’
My trip is almost over. I am looking forward to life getting ‘back to normal’ – a routine which is fulfilling and meaningful and is in no way just ‘filling in time’ before my next travel abroad. And yet there is always something special about the time I spend as an outsider in this part of the world. I also sense something special about the way that the theme of light bookended this trip. I’m not quite sure what to make of it just yet. For now, it is enough that the theme of light is noticed and, by blogging about it, reinforced.