East Wind Melts the Ice: A Memoir through the Seasons
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"To read East Wind Melts the Ice is to slip into a time stream that is both as long and sinuous as history and as ephemeral as the present moment. Drawing inspiration from the thousand year old history of Japanese poetic diaries, and form from the ancient Chinese almanac that she uses to contain her musings, Liza Dalby has accomplished the seemingly impossible task of translating the sensibility of the Heian Court of 11th century Japan into the context of contemporary America. The result is a stunning chronicle of the beauty of time passing and an evocation of the transient and whimsical nature of all things."—Ruth Ozeki, author of My Year of Meats and All Over Creation"I imagine Liza Dalby writing this book in an ancient library, a lion sleeping at her side, as in the paintings of Saint Jerome. As she collects and layers arcane and fascinating pieces of knowledge, she builds her own very personal almanac packed with the wonder of loving two cultures, the intense inner life of each season, and boundless curiosity of the scholar/child. This is a book to dip in and out of throughout the year."—Frances Mayes, author of Under the Tuscan Sun"Liza Dalby's memoir of the seasons is as fresh and captivating as springtime. A very special book."—Michael Pollan, author of The Omnivore's Dilemma"This beautiful book awakens the senses. A journal, an almanac of the seasons, and a series of reflections on ancient Eastern Chinese and Japanese cultures, here you will find subtle observations of rain and heat, tangerines, mulberries and paulownia trees, crickets and doves forming a rich tapestry as they are woven with evocative fragments of history—stories of geishas, of salesmen who sold bulk fireflies, of the wood that was used for kimono chests, of emptiness in the tea ceremony. Like a lush garden, this book is meant to savor."—Susan Griffin, author of The Book of the Courtesans
preface maps of time spring1 . east wind melts the ice february 5 through 92 . dormant creatures start to twitch february 10 through 143 . fish swim upstream, breaking the ice february 15 through 194 . river otters sacrifice fish february 20 through 245 . wild geese head north february 25 through 286 . grasses and trees sprout march 1 through 57 . peach blossoms open march 6 through 108 . golden orioles sing march 11 through 159 . hawks become doves march 16 through 2110 . swallows return march 22 through 2611 . thunder sings march 27 through 3112 . first lightning april 1 through 513 . paulownia blooms april 6 through 1014 . moles become quails april 11 through 1515 . rainbows appear april 16 through 2116 . floating weeds appear april 22 through 2617 . pigeons flap their wings april 27 through may 118 . the hoopoe alights in the mulberry may 2 through 6summer19 . little frogs peep may 7 through 1120 . worms come forth may 12 through 1621 . cucurbit flourishes may 17 through 2122 . bitter herb grows tall may 22 through 2623 . waving grasses wither may 27 through 3124 . grain ripens june 1 through 525 . mantids hatch june 6 through 1026 . the shrike begins to shriek june 11 through 1527 . the mockingbird loses its voice june 16 through 2028 . deer break antlers june 21 through 2529 . cicadas sing june 26 through 3030 . the crowdipper plant flourishes july 1 through 5center31 . hot winds arrive july 6 through 1032 . crickets come into the walls july 11 through 1533 . the hawk studies and learns july 16 through 2034 . rotted weeds turn into fireflies july 21 through 2535 . earth is steaming wet july 26 through 3036 . great rains sweep through july 31 through august 5fall37 . cool wind arrives august 6 through 1038 . white dew descends august 11 through 1539 . the cold cicada chirps august 16 through 2040 . the raptor sacrifices birds august 21 through 2541 . heaven and earth turn strict august 26 through 3042 . rice ripens august 31 through september 443 . wild geese come september 5 through 944 . swallows leave september 10 through 1445 . flocks of birds gather grain september 15 through 2046 . thunder pipes down september 21 through 2547 . beetles wall up their burrows september 26 through 3048 . waters dry up october 1 through 549 . wild geese come as guests october 6 through 1050 . sparrows enter the water and turn into clams october 11 through 1551 . chrysanthemums are tinged yellow october 16 through 2152 . the wolf sacrifices the beasts october 22 through 2653 . leaves turn yellow and fall october 27 through 3154 . insects tuck themselves away november 1 through 555 . water begins to freeze november 6 through 1056 . earth begins to freeze november 11 through 1557 . pheasants enter the water and turn into monster clams november 16 through 2058 . rainbows hide november 21 through 2559 . heaven's essence rises; earth's essence sinks november 26 through 3060 . walled up and closed, winter takes hold december 1 through 561 . the copper pheasant is silent december 6 through 1062 . the tiger begins to roam december 11 through 1563 . garlic chives sprout december 16 through 2064 . earthworms twist december 21 through 2565 . elk break antlers december 26 through 3066 . springwaters move december 31 through january 467 . wild geese return to their northern home january 5 through 968 . magpies nest january 10 through 1469 . the pheasant cock calls its mate january 15 through 1970 . pheasant hens brood january 20 through 2471 . the vulture flies stern and swift january 25 through 2972 . streams and marshes are frozen solid january 30 through february 4appendix seventy-two periods of the year in china, japan, and northern california afterword acknowledgments index
