許有壬《蘆菔》“Radish” by Xu Youren (1287-1364)

性質宜沙地，

栽培屬夏畦。

熟登甘似竽，

生薦脆如梨。

老病消凝滯，

奇功直品題。

故園長尺許，

靑葉更堪韲。

By nature, it loves sandy soil,

And grows best in summer furrows.

Served cooked, it’s sweet like a taro,

Offered raw, it’s crispy as a pear.

For the old and infirm, it clears stagnation,[1]

A marvellous virtue, well worthy of praise.

In my old garden, it grows about a foot,

With tender greens fit for pickling.

* From Xu Youren 許有壬, Guitang xiaogao 圭塘小藁, Yingyin Wenyuange Siku quanshu 景印文淵閣四庫全書 (Shanghai: Shanghai guji chubanshe, 1987) edition, vol. 1211, 3.4a.

[1] Traditional Chinese medicine uses white radishes to aid indigestion and clear the stagnation of qi and blood.

Detail of a handscroll by Fachang 法常 (d. 1269)

Image credit: National Palace Museum, Taipei

宋法常寫生　卷。國立故宮博物院，台北，CC BY 4.0 @ www.npm.gov.tw

A funny-looking radish just harvested from my vegetable garden