佛祖統紀 10.76

10.76

Xu Duanfu, the Prefect of Jiangzhou, wrote in his preface to his poetry: "In Ciyun's poetry, the writing is continuous with the Way, and the words are pressing upon principle; it closely resembles Tao Pengze. It indeed accords with the intention that feelings are stirred and find expression in words, yet stop within propriety and righteousness. Formerly, Guanxiu composed the *Chanyue ji*; at first he had not heard the Way, yet his talent and feeling were exceptional, which fell short of the principle of assisting the teaching. Zhongyongzi composed the *Xianju bian*; although his words gave voice to the Way, the sentences and phrasing were vulgar and redundant, falling short of the style of a poet. Ciyun, however, was not like this: his writing was clear and lovely, his principles were also manifest and bright, elegant, correct, simple, and plain, possessing the style of the Jin and Song dynasties. It is because his accomplishments in the Way were so vast that his renown as a poet did not circulate widely."