A Cup of Tea

Tea is a fragrant beverage made from the dried leaves of the evergreen shrub Camellia sinensis. The aromatic beverage is prepared by brewing in kettle with hot water and mixing with milk by choice. It is the most extensively drank beverage in the world after water. This write up "A Cup of Tea" is to discuss affect of Tea on humans wrt to the literary work, poems & story on tea.

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

In the name of ALLAH, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

 

  

As Salam Alykum and Hello to My Dear All Fellows; Relatives, Friends, Collogues and Mates!

 

Reading and writing is one's hobby and these are end days of December 2024. These winters here in Islamabad / Rawalpindi are freezing dry cold since last week. One has seen the social media filled with poetry related to December and they are mostly about sad and loneliness feelings, as if everyone has fled from earth and only other partner is suffering alone in cruel winters.

 

One thing that has most mentioned is "Tea", off course beside the lost in wilderness loved one. One was taken by astonishment with these poems, and thought that it might make an interesting read for others as well. One is not a habitual tea taker but do enjoy a cup of Tea or Coffee in company of any one from you all i.e. Relatives, Friends, Collogues and Mates; especially in winters. A hot drink with hearty talks in cold freezing winters is a special warm joy. 

 

Dear Fellows; "Tea" taking in company of any special person is a joy in all weathers, so no substitute of beverage is required in other seasons; except when living places like Punjab in Indian Sub-Continent (Dear Punjabis may replace " Lassi" in summers). It is not Tea that makes affection but the hearty talks that leaves "Smiles" and “Fond Memories" to cherish, when we may not be together.

 

In the following; few poems are being shared as good examples to show how the simplest thing can inspire us to bigger things such as from a cup of tea or coffee to loving the whole world. Let's encourage each of us to show gratitude and thankfulness for all the blessings and bounties of Mother Nature provided to us.

 

It is not just a cup of coffee or tea which is offered, but the warmness of intentions with which it might have been brewed and an invitation to share few valuable moments with each other that matters. Have we ever though to say thank you for another chance to share valuable moments together in another new day?

 

Here in Rawalpindi, it's end of December, and some say that it's the season for many hot cups of sweet milky tea or coffee. It may be sublime to enjoy tea and gup shup in a comfortable setting, curled upon a chair or on proper matted floor in company or if without then with a book, by a glowing fire ( yes there is no gas supply, so may substitute with any other arrangement of heat); if possible. Why? Because; "Tea is wealth itself, because there is nothing that cannot be lost, no problem that will not disappear, no burden that will not float away; between the first sip and the last."

 

Tea Poems have been written since we have been drinking tea. It is just so easy to wax lyrical on the magic and mysticism of the perfect cup, or how a cup of tea melts away the distance between two souls by observing experience of a meditative tea ritual. Tea Poems vary just like tea does. They can whisk us away to an exotic land adventure with faerie folk. The feelings can be further explained through some poems in the following:-

Poem "A Cup of Tea" By Anonymous

 When the world is all at odds

And the mind is all at sea

Then cease the useless tedium

And brew a cup of tea.

There is magic in its fragrance,

There is solace in its taste;

And the laden moments vanish

Somehow into space.

The world becomes a lovely thing!

There’s beauty as you’ll see;

All because you briefly stopped

To brew a cup...

Poem "A Cup Of Tea" by William Punter

 

Let's all have a cup of tea,

Even though the weather is bad.

There's storms predicted on the telly,

It might make us sad.

 

Let's all have a cup of tea,

Even though there's a lot of crime.

People get mugged and sold dodgy DVDs

And stuff like that all the time.

 

Let's all have a cup of tea,

Even though there's a war on.

War is simply a terrible thing,

If you don't agree you're a moron.

 

Let's all have a cup of tea,

Even though it's the apocalypse today.

A cup of tea is really a cup of love,

And that's all I needed to say.

Poem "A Cup of Tea "by Austin Warwick

Have a cup of tea

with the family.

Keep quiet.

So they don't know you're crying.

Sip your tea.

Don't spill

Who knows what will happen.

If they know you’re in pain.

So keep dirking.

But do not speak.

Just drink your cold tea.

 

 Poem "The Way of Tea" by Chio Jen, Tang Dynasty

 

A friend presented me

With tender leaves of Oolong tea,

For which I chose a kettle

Of ivory-mounted gold,

A mixing-bowl of snow-white earth.

With its clear bright froth and fragrance,

It was like the nectar of Immortals.

The first bowl washed the cobwebs from my mind –

The whole world seemed to sparkle.

A second cleansed my spirit

Like purifying showers of rain,

A third and I was one of the Immortals –

What need now for austerities

To purge our human sorrows?

Worldly people, by going in for wine,

Sadly deceive themselves.

For now I know the Way of Tea is real.

Poem "Fairies Tea" by Un Known

 

Poem "Fairies Tea" by Un Known

 

Up in a tree, Fairies sit to have their tea.

With china cups and china plates, they eat their dainty fairy cakes.

The tablecloth is cobweb lace. A name card sits at every place.

A warm moss upon the floor; Just inside the small oak door.

Wouldn’t you just love to be, invited to a fairy’s tea.

 

Short Story "A Cup of Tea" by Katherine Mansfield

"A Cup of Tea" is a short story by Katherine Mansfield. It was first published in "The Story Teller" in May 1922 and later in collection "The Doves' Nest and Other Stories" in 1923. The literary fame came to Katherine Mansfield in London after the publication of a collection of short stories called "In a German Pension".

 

In "A Cup of Tea" story, Mansfield uses a simple request for money to purchase a cup of tea to propel a plot that examines themes such as social class, materialism, jealousy, and both the role and fate of women in society. The story is about a wealthy woman who decides to help a poorer woman after the latter asks for money to purchase tea. She does not actually help the woman as much as she intends to because her jealousy gets in the way.

 

There are multiple themes in ''A Cup of Tea.'' One theme is that of society's expectations surrounding gender and social class and how they were quite limiting. Another theme is jealousy, including how jealousy can play into those expectations and can cause even greater harm. In ''A Cup of Tea,'' the author paints a picture of the ways in which people relate to each other in 20th-century England through the actions of three main characters. These characters illustrate issues of social class and gender norms all while displaying how personal weaknesses such as jealousy can further serve to hurt people within these systems. Finally, the story critiques materialism.

 

The story's moral can be summarized as "Through the image of Rosemary" depiction of the upper class's disparate treatment of the lower class. Her demeanor and actions paint a vivid picture of the mentality of discriminating elites. Thus the moral of a story is the lesson that story teaches about how to behave in the world.

 

The title "A Cup of Tea" suggests simplicity and routine, but in the context of a story, it often implies more than meets the eye. This title can be significant as it might symbolize an ordinary, everyday occurrence that turns out to be more complex or meaningful within the narrative.

Conclusion

 

In conclusion; it may be said that every continent, civilization and country has its own culture, customs, traditions and rituals. However, Coffee, Tea and Green Tea with all its variants are common to all the six continents, inhabited by humans with all the religions, creeds, casts and colours. Tea taking has infiltrated all the six continents, namely, North and South Americas, Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia during the last century and has become a part of daily course of life.

 

Tea invites us to immerse ourselves in joy and drift with the clouds. Drift slowly, enjoy, and leave some snacks out for the faeries. Tea, therefore, has become a famous common topic of literature including poems across the globe. Let's develop on this commonality of tea to all nations and cultures and learn to negotiate our problems and settle our differences of opinion peacefully over a "Cup of Tea". Let's wish each others for the many blessings of our mother nature during ours daily life in best ways and means.