Of the Bars that Keep Music and Fate Honest and Straight (On the Origin of Su Shi's Name)

 

When Su Shi was born,
his father Su Xun wrote
“On Naming Two Sons,”
knowing a name can be
like a single note—

 

drawn from a lyre string
and let go by some god—
which, if rightly struck,
may sound as deep as anything
that resonates with the soul—

 

And so he wrote:
What is Shi?
A small crossbar
at the front of a carriage,

 

which accords balance
to the charioteer—
as does the nameless measure
to a musician and her melody
between sound and silence.

 

A slight bar preventing
the rider from falling
and straying out of place—
not unlike the bar in music,
holding running notes—