SuaveG – The Gentle Path

Chinese mythology, folktales, and literature

  • Returning to My Fields and Gardens (4 of 5)

    •

    Rob

    – by Tao Yuanming (Jin Dynasty) Long have I been away from wandering the mountains and streams;Now I roam freely, finding joy in the boundless woods and fields.Gathering my children and nephews, I take them along,Pushing aside the brambles to walk through the ruined village.Wandering among the burial mounds,I linger affectionately by the sites…

  • Moving House (1 and 2 of 2)

    •

    Rob

    — by Tao Yuanming (Jin Dynasty) Poem 1 I once wished to live in the South Village,Not because I had divined it to be an auspicious site.I had heard it was home to many pure-hearted souls,And I rejoiced at the thought of sharing mornings and evenings with them.Harboring this wish for many a year,Today,…

  • Song of the Thatched Cottage Broken by the Autumn Wind [Tang Poems]

    •

    Ana

    — by Du Fu [Tang Dynasty] In the eighth month, the autumn sky is high, and the wind howls in fury,Tearing away three layers of thatch from the roof of my cottage.The thatch flies across the river, scattering over the suburban banks;The higher pieces snag on the treetops of the distant forest,The lower pieces…

  • Ode to Jing Ke

    •

    Rob

    — by Tao Yuanming (Jin Dynasty) Prince Dan of Yan was skilled at nurturing brave retainers,With a will to take vengeance against the mighty Qin.He gathered the finest among a hundred men,And at the year’s end, he found Master Jing.A gentleman dies for his soulmate;Drawing his sword, he departed from the capital of Yan.White…

  • Returning to My Fields and Gardens (2 of 5)

    •

    Rob

    — by Tao Yuanming (Jin Dynasty) Rare are worldly affairs in the wild countryside;Few are the carriages in these desolate lanes.By broad daylight, I close my brushwood gate;In this empty room, all earthly thoughts are banished.Sometimes, amidst the rural paths,I push aside the tall grass to visit my neighbors.When we meet, there is no…

  • Commentary on Body, Shadow, and Spirit

    •

    Rob

    The Body, Shadow, and Spirit is a series of five-character-per-line poems. The first poem features the Body addressing the Shadow: while the physical forms of heaven, earth, mountains, and rivers endure forever, and grass and trees can regenerate even after withering, the human body is destined to die and vanish. Therefore, one should seize…