Loquats (Ten Thousand Golden Globes Embellish the Withered Tree)

At dawn, the beautiful maiden awakes from her sleep.
She sits at her dressing table, her lovely brows are like wings.
Beneath the glasslike leaves are golden yellow clusters.
The slender hand gathers some to take in their pure fragrance.
Very few know of their enchanting charm and flavor. They ripen in the summer as the spring wind ceases.
      —Wushen year [1968], winter solstice. I did this as I got up at
dawn, then filled in verses from an ancient poet. Shao-An.

The loquat embodies the spirit of the four seasons: the tree sprouts leaves in the autumn and blooms in the winter; the fruit appears in the spring and then ripens in summer. It might not be the most delicious fruit in China, but the appearance of the golden fruit against the dark green leaves makes it a popular subject for artists. To distinguish the loquat from other orange-colored fruit, the artist has added five ink dots at the blossom ends where the fruit separated from its stem.