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Ode to Jing Ke
— 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…
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Returning to My Fields and Gardens (2 of 5)
— 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…
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Commentary on Body, Shadow, and Spirit
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…
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Body, Shadow, and Spirit (3 of 3)
The Spirit Explains The great Creator acts without partiality;The myriad principles of the universe are clearly manifested.Of the Three Powers (Heaven, Earth, and Man),Is it not because of me, the Spirit, that humanity exists?Though I am a different entity from you two,We are bound together as long as we live.Since our fates are intertwined,How…