“The fierce tiger returns to the mountain to prepare for his next term…”
What would be the second line for the beginning of this couplet?
That’s what the Richmond Public Library is asking their patrons to write in their annual Couplet Contest in anticipation of Lunar New Year and the Year of the Rabbit.
Last year was the Year of the Tiger, so this first line tells how the tiger is retreating back to the mountains for 12 years, while the anticipation of the rabbit coming out should be the second line in the couplet.
The couplet challenge is bilingual, with the first line given in both English and Chinese and the second one can be written in either language.
A Chinese couplet is a two-line poem where the second line complements the first one.
Both lines have to have the same number of characters and the meaning of both lines must be complementary.
The couplet, however, doesn’t have to rhyme.
There are five judges, including two poets and a children’s writer, who will pick the winners. These winners will be announced at an awards ceremony.
The top three winners will each receive a trophy, certificate, a gift and a copy of the couplet, including their own second line written in Chinese by a local calligrapher.
Other submissions will also be recognized with honourable mentions and encouragement awards.
The deadline for the couplet contest is Jan. 20. To submit a couplet, click here.
