Kanji: Eternity

Eternity In Eight Strokes

eternity in this moment real
passions past passions present beyond conceal
eight strokes with a hand be they known
from which yearning and knowing be shown
eight strokes with brush and ink to define
all time present, the Infinite, the Divine.


Rose Marie Raccioppi
Poet Laureate
Orangetown, New York

This is a kanji character (Chinese characters used in Japan) meaning "eternity", pronounced "ei" in Japanese. This character is traditionally used to practice writing kanji because it embodies the eight basic strokes used in calligraphy. The image you see here was drawn by Lorna Chang. www.soas.ac.uk