— 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…
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…
This poem is the first in a famous three-poem series where Tao Yuanming personifies three aspects of human existence: the physical Body, the Shadow, and the Spirit. This structure is deeply influenced by Buddhist and Daoist philosophical debates of the Wei-Jin period regarding the nature of the soul and the afterlife.
The white sun sinks into the western river;The pale moon rises over the eastern ridge.For ten thousand miles, its boundless radiance gleams;Vast and clear, a brilliant expanse fills the sky.The wind sweeps through the doors and windows;In the dead of night, my pillow and mat grow cold.Sensing the changing air, I realize the seasons…
The autumn chrysanthemums bloom in splendid hues;Dew-kissed, I pluck their petals.I steep them in this sorrow-forgetting brew,To distance myself from worldly cares.Though I drink this cup alone,When the cup is empty, the pot pours on its own.As the sun sets, all bustling life comes to rest,And homeward-bound birds fly to the woods, singing.Beneath my…
Jingwei carries tiny twigs in her beak,Intending to fill the vast blue sea.Xingtian dances with his shield and battle-axe,His fierce resolve forever remains. Though mortal life is spent, no sorrow lingers;Transformed into strange beings, they harbor no regrets.The fierce ambitions of the past still burn within,But how could they ever wait for a time…
Preface: Lingering Clouds is a poem about missing friends and kin. The wine vessel is filled with fresh brew, and the garden displays its first blossoms of spring. Yet, my wish to see them remains unfulfilled; sighs fill my breast. Gathering, gathering, the lingering clouds;Drizzling, drizzling, the timely rain.Darkness shrouds the eight directions;Even the…