Bamboo and Plum Blossom

Bamboo and Plum Blossom

Bamboo and Plum Blossom

Bamboo and Plum Blossom
Bamboo and Plum Blossom

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Du Fu (712-770)



Qiang Village
Du Fu

Red clouds tower in the west,
The sun is sinking on the plain.
A sparrow chirps on the wicker gate,
I return from a thousand li away.
My wife and children are shocked to see me,
Then calm themselves and wipe their tears.
I floated through this disordered life,
By chance I have managed to return alive.
The neighbours all lean over the wall,
And they as well are sighing and sobbing.
Late at night we bring out candles,
And face each other as in a dream.

Sunday, December 8, 2013

Lao Tzu (604 BC-531 BC)



“At the center of your being
you have the answer;
you know who you are
and you know what you want.”

Saturday, December 7, 2013

Tao Qian (365-427)



Drinking Wine
Tao Qian

I made my home amidst this human bustle,
Yet I hear no clamour from the carts and horses.
My friend, you ask me how this can be so?
A distant heart will tend towards like places.
From the eastern hedge, I pluck chrysanthemum flowers,
And idly look towards the southern hills.
The mountain air is beautiful day and night,
The birds fly back to roost with one another.
I know that this must have some deeper meaning,
I try to explain, but cannot find the words.

Thursday, December 5, 2013

Han Shan Te Ch'ing (c.1600)





Look upon the body as unreal,
an image in a mirror,
the reflection of the moon in water.
Contemplate the mind as formless,
yet bright and pure.

Not a single thought arising,
empty, yet perceptive;
still, yet illuminating;
complete like the great emptiness,
containing all that is wonderful.

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Wang Wei (701-761)



Birds Calling in the Ravine
Wang Wei

I'm idle, as osmanthus flowers fall,
This quiet night in spring, the hill is empty.
The moon comes out and startles the birds on the hill,
They don't stop calling in the spring ravine.

Tuesday, December 3, 2013

Fujiwara no Sadayori (995-1045)




Fujiwara no Sadayori

In the early dawn
When the mists on Uji River
Slowly lift and clear,
From the shallows to the deep,
The stakes of fishing nets appear.

Monday, December 2, 2013

Xue Tao (768-831)



Moon


Its spirit leans like a thin hook
or opens round like a Han-loom fan,
slender shadow whose nature is to be full,
seen everywhere in the human world.

Xue Tao

Sunday, December 1, 2013

Hsu Yun (1840-1959)



AFTER THE RAIN, CLIMBING A TALL BUILDING TO VIEW THE MOUNTAINS

It was just clearing after the rain of the night before
Mossy traces were on the steps.
I didn't climb the building thinking about writing a poem.

This poet's fest doesn't need any wine warming.
Just open the window, the mountain range will come in.
Before the eye, the village, drenched in smoke,
Will materialize.

I write now and see it as I saw it then -
The mountains and the sea -
Viewing it in detail
Like a painted picture.