廬山記 4

English (machine translation) 4

Language: English

4.1

Section 6: Inscriptions Left by Ancients

Numerous are the inscriptions left at Mount Lu by men of ancient and modern times. Pure expressions and beautiful verses having already fallen onto the lips of people, mountain elders and rustic old men transmit them without end. Even in deep crags and remote ravines rarely reached by human traces, though people be separated from one another by several hundred years, yet through their words one may imagine their spirit, as if walking side by side in sandals, or sitting intimately together at table in conversation. That literary writings can be handed down thus—how could one neglect them? Therefore, among the poems composed in the mountains by the worthy of the Jin and Song dynasties, there are many still to be seen. In our current dynasty, Zhang Huizhi traveled as a wanderer at Mount Lu for a long time; at fine sites of water and rock, his poems frequently hit the mark, and he has his own *Lushan ji* (Lushan Collection). Ever since the reign of peace, men have esteemed refinement; when gentlemen of the court climb heights and look into the distance, they too possess the inspiration of poets and elegists. All their surviving pieces belong to a single contemporary period; because their time is close at hand, there is no worry that they will fail to be transmitted. Now I record the poems of men prior to the Tang, setting them forth in this chapter, [preferring not to] value the ear while despising the eye in exercising arbitrary selection.

4.3

Traveling to Mount Lu

4.4

Huiyuan

4.5

Lofty crags breathe forth pure vapors; / Secluded peaks house divine traces. / Subtle sounds perform the myriad pipes of nature; / Resonances issue from dripping mountain torrents. / A guest wanders alone in dark mystery, / Directly forgetting where he was bound. / Waving his hand, he caresses the Cloud Gate; / Why need the spiritual pass be opened? / Sending his mind forth to knock at profound listening, / When resonance arrives, the ultimate principle is unbarred. / Who is it that soars into the nine heavens, / Without having robbed the wings that vault the sky? / When subtle sameness is attained, inclinations naturally bind… (The complete text has not been seen.)

4.6

Matching the Poem in Harmonious Reply

4.7

Liu Yimin

4.8

The spiritual principle is indeed transcendent; / In stepping through the coarse, rarely is one not of the herd. / Who reaches beyond the dissolving mists, / Distinctly separated from worldly things? / Deep within the darkling profound valley, / The gathered echoes can naturally be heard. / The patterned peak lacks no expansive elegance; / The intersecting ranges hold drifting clouds. / With profound awakening, graceful are the soaring thoughts; / At the essential point, they open up darkling joy. / Within the crags, faint inspirations gather; / At the caves and peaks, one imagines secluded renown. / Frail brightness turns back to reflect in the mirror; / An open heart is suffused with spiritual perfume. / Forever molded at the ford of the profound artisan, / The setting sunlight awaits the empty axe.

4.9

Matching the Poem in Harmonious Reply

4.10

Wang Qiaozhi

4.11

Transcendental roaming rarely meets with the spirit; / Sublime goodness naturally accords with the dark mystery. / Penetrating into that realm of vacant clarity, / Dimly the dust lies sealed away. / The myriad mounds level into the vast void; / A single peak alone rises into the sky. / Celestial shadows fall against the crags; / Pure vapors harmonize with the seasons. / A soaring summit reaches the divine utmost; / A traveler traverses its peaks. / The long river washes the luxuriant thickets; / Precipitous rain arrays the autumn pines. / Perilous steps overlook the sheer dark abyss; / Spiritual ravines reflect in ten thousand folds. / Breezes and springs temper the distant air; / Far-off echoes harmonize in sweet concord. / The distant beauty is already stretching far; / Turning my gaze, I behold the Jiujiang. / This affair belongs to the realm of devas and men; / Constantly one hears clear pipes sounding in the void.

4.12

Matching the Poem in Harmonious Reply

4.13

Zhang Ye

4.14

Beholding the peaks, they blend with the Great Primal; / Gazing at the cliffs, there is no way to measure them. / Great vessels hold within their natural endowment; / Transcending steps take no gradual stages. / Striding forth, I cross the manifold boundaries; / In a single lift, I extricate myself from defilements. / Vast and bright, the broad gaze extends into the center; / Wide and open, the far-off view brings contentment. / Riding upon this to purify and polish the mind, / One may thereby forget lingering blemishes. / The expansive wind covers the secluded dwelling; / Upon the deceptive path, the old mortality dwindles.

4.15

Composed upon Entering the Mouth of Lake Pengli

4.16

Xie Lingyun

4.17

The traveling guest grows weary of lodging on the water; / The wind and tide are difficult to recount in full. / Sandbars and islands suddenly converge; / Riverbanks and shores repeatedly collapse and race. / Riding the moonlight, I listen to the mournful monkeys; / Moistened with dew, the fragrant herbs turn sweet. / In late spring, the green wilds are lush; / The crags are lofty, where white clouds gather. / A thousand thoughts assemble day and night; / Ten thousand feelings fill morning and evening. / Climbing cliffs, I gaze into the stone mirror; / Parting leaves, I enter the pine gate. / At the Three Rivers, events of the past are mostly gone; / Along the Nine Tributaries, the principle remains in vain. / Spiritual creatures begrudge rare marvels; / Extraordinary beings conceal their refined souls. / Golden elixir extinguishes its bright radiance; / Emerald waters cease their flowing warmth. / In vain I compose this song of a thousand leagues; / The strings are snapped, yet my thoughts grow ever deeper.

4.18

Gazing at Stone Gate

4.19

By the Same [Author]

4.20

At daybreak I shake my cloud-touching cap; / Ascending the peaks, far off I rest my feet. / Lofty peaks sever half the sky; / Long cliffs stretch unbroken for a thousand leagues. / Cocks crow amidst clear streams; / Gibbons howl within white clouds. / Jasper waves open chasing the sky; / Rosy rocks rise up touching the peaks. / Intertwining, they form no single shape; / Jagged and uneven, all are yet alike.

4.21

Ascending to the Highest Crest of Stone Gate

4.22

By the Same [Author]

4.23

In the morning I staff my way along sheer cliffs; / In the evening I rest in my mountain dwelling. / Dispersed peaks pillow the high lodge; / Facing ridges overlook the winding torrent. / Long forests array the courtyards; / Piled stones shore up the terrace foundation. / Connecting crags make me feel the road is blocked; / Dense bamboos make the path feel hasty. / The newcomer forgets new arts; / The departing one perhaps takes the former trail. / The evening stream flows swiftly; / Cry upon cry, the night gibbons wail. / Deep obscurity—is it a separate principle? / Guarding the Way, naturally there is no divergence. / My heart accords with the stems of late autumn; / Daily I enjoy the sprouts of three months of spring. / Dwelling in the constant to await the end, / Living in accord with nature, I am content with what befalls. / I regret having no companion of shared mind / To ascend together the ladder to the blue clouds.

4.24

Ascending Mount Lu

4.25

Bao Zhao

4.26

With suspended baggage I navigate the disordered waters; / The traveler halts beside the mountain eaves. / A thousand crags pile up in uneven ruggedness; / Ten thousand ravines wind and coil in their momentum. / Towering high, it outdoes its former appearance; / Tumultuous and entangled, it inherits its ancestral fame. / Deep gorges peek into the veins of the earth; / Soaring trees conceal the warp of heaven. / The pine-clad stone steps are deeply bewildering; / Cloud-caverns crisscross down below. / Shade-bound ice indeed congeals in summer; / Sharp-leaved trees truly flourish in winter.

4.27

Ascending Incense Burner Peak in the Retinue of the Champion General, the Prince of Jianping

4.28

Jiang Yan

4.29

Guangcheng cherished the divine cauldron; / The Prince of Huainan loved the elixir scripture. / This mountain is endowed with simurghs and cranes; / Ancient times were entirely filled with immortals. / Jasper grass is in splendid glowing bloom; / Jade trees are truly verdant and lush. / Crimson mists trail low below; / White clouds ascend into dark obscurity. / Sitting midway, I look down upon the coiling rainbow; / Prostrating low, I gaze down at shooting stars. / If one does not seek out the extremes of distant marvels, / How can one know what startles ear and eye? / The sun sets over the islets of Changsha; / Layered shade arises for ten thousand leagues. / Pillowed on thoroughwort, I hold many thoughts; / Facing the wind, I silently hold deep feelings. / I am about to learn the seclusion of pines and cypresses, / Ashamed to pursue renown in marketplace and court. / Respectfully receiving the end of your bright chants, / In prostrate thought I entrust myself to your trailing banners.

4.30

Donglin Temple

4.31

Liu Xiaochuo

4.32

In the Moon Palace sparkle pearl banners; / Wind wheels harmonize with precious bells. / Morning gibbons resound among roof ridges; / Night waters sound against window screens. (The complete poem has not been seen.)

4.33

Inscribed at Jianji Abbey

4.34

Zhang Zhengjian

4.35

At the Two Bridges, the torrent was originally cut off; / Along paths of a thousand fathoms, passage was hard to win. / Right here among the spiritual immortals, / Eye-catching plaques mirror the immortal palaces. / The mirror is like the moon shining on the peak; / The stream is like a rainbow drinking from the ravine. / Secluded cassia trees cast no slanted shadow; / Deep pines harbor a vigorous breeze. / One must only gaze from afar / To know it lies within the white clouds.

4.36

Returning to Pengze in Late Autumn

4.37

By the Same [Author]

4.38

The traveler reaches the hills and ravines; / Autumn air fills the level marshland. / The road accumulates the grass-girdles of Kangcheng; / The gate is overgrown with the wormwood of Zhongwei. / The mountains are bright with cloud-painted colors; / The sky is quiet, where birds fly high. / Naturally having the chrysanthemums by the eastern hedge, / I return to hold and float them in cloudy wine.

4.39

Setting Out Early in the Mountains Returning to Pengze

4.40

By the Same [Author]

4.41

In fading autumn, dawn breaks in the mountains; / Autumn air fills the curve of the forest. / Firefly glow shines upon the grass tips; / Shadows of birds emerge from the branches. / Lingering summer heat vanishes with the sun; / Broken rosy clouds scatter with the wind. / In vain I return to the county of Tao Qian, / Having after all none of Song Yu's talent.

4.42

Ascending Mount Lu

4.43

Liu Shanshan

4.44

Rustic smoke rises from the Incense Burner above the mountain; / Flowers fall before the Mirror. / A perilous bridge spans the great ravine; / A waterfall hangs in the midst of heaven. / The First Emperor of Qin looked out over the universe; / Emperor Wu of Han raised his pennons and banners. / Tying huts divides them from ancient registers; / Leaving skiffs shines down upon distant years. (The complete poem has not been seen.)

4.45

Traveling to Donglin Temple

4.46

Cui Rong

4.47

Yesterday I passed below Mount Kuang, / Where spring orioles in the dawn warbled sparsely. / Today I come to the bends of Yishui, / Where autumn wild geese fly in evening formation. / The state has a summons from Emperor Wen; / I am ashamed to return by the post-relay of the banished. / Winding round, I pass by the Sanskrit pagoda; / Journeying through, I view all of the Wu domain. / The apricot trees were planted long ago; / The lotus flowers were carved [in stone]. / In the south creek the rain sighs softly; / On the east hill the sun shines brightly. / The waterfall cascade is like the staff of a heavenly youth; / The Incense Burner is circled by assemblies of the Dharma. / Mist and clouds follow the roads; / Simurghs and cranes run far beside our steeds. / Master Yuan's spiritual presence is august; / Master Sheng wields the chowry in profound discourse. / Once gazing upon this Buddha shadow, / For a while I wish to cast off my court robes.

4.48

On the twenty-ninth day of the second month of the thirteenth year of the Yuanhe reign-period (818 CE), his great-grandson, Gentleman for Court Scatter, Commissioner with Special Imperial Credentials, Commander of Military Affairs in Jiangzhou, Administrative Prefect of Jiangzhou, Upper Pillar of the State, Founding Male of Qinghe County, recipient of the Purple Ribbon and Golden Fish Pouch, [Cui] Neng, recarved and inscribed this.

4.49

Mooring in the Evening at Xunyang and Looking toward Lushan

4.50

Meng Haoran

4.51

Under cassia-wood sails for several thousand li, / I met with no famed mountain at all. / Only when mooring my boat at the walls of Xunyang / did I first behold Incense Burner Peak. / I once read Master Yuan's biography / and have long cherished his traces beyond the dust. / The Donglin vihāra is close at hand; / as the sun sets, I hear only the bell.

4.52

Looking toward Lushan from Pengli Lake

4.53

By the same [author]

4.54

A halo rises around the moon in the great void; / the boatman knows the heavenly winds. / Setting sail, we await the dawn, / drifting far and wide across Pengli Lake. / Amid the current, I sight distant isles, / their grandeur overtopping the nine reaches of the river. / Darkling and hushed, the clearing weather yields to twilight colors, / towering aloft against the dawn sky. / The sun first mounts Incense Burner Peak; / the waterfall spouts, forming a rainbow. / For long have I wished to follow Master Xiang, / all the more now as I cherish Master Yuan. / Having arrived here, bound by official duties, / I have had no leisure to rest my humble person. / My journey between Huai and the sea is nearly half complete; / amidst summer and frost, the year draws toward its close. / I send these words to those dwelling in the crags: / when my tasks are ended, I shall surely come to join you.

4.55

Ballad of Lushan, Sent to Censor Lu Xuzhou

4.56

Li Bai

4.57

I am by nature the madman of Chu, / whose phoenix song mocked Confucius. / In hand I hold a green jade staff, / bidding morning farewell to Yellow Crane Tower. / Seeking immortals across the Five Marchmounts, I begrudge no distance; / all my life I have loved wandering into famed mountains. / Lushan emerges in sublime beauty beside the Southern Dipper, / its Screen of Nine Folds unfurling like cloud-brocade, / its shadow falling upon the clear lake with an azure gleam. / Before the Golden Portal open two lofty peaks; / the Silver River hangs upside down across the Three Stone Bridges. / Incense Burner Peak and the waterfall gaze at each other from afar; / winding cliffs and apricot crags tower into the azure void. / Emerald shadows and vermilion clouds reflect the morning sun; / birds cannot fly so far through the expansive Wu sky. / Climbing high, I behold a magnificent sight between heaven and earth: / the Great River flows boundlessly away, never to return. / Yellow clouds stretch ten thousand li, stirring the wind’s hues; / white waves in nine streams rush down like mountains of snow. / Well pleased, I make this ballad of Lushan; / my inspiration is aroused for Lushan. / At leisure I gaze into the Stone Mirror to cleanse my heart, / where Duke Xie walked, overgrown with green moss. / (One version has: Where green vines open, the bright moon hangs.) / Having early ingested the Cyclical Elixir, I am free of worldly passions; / the lute-heart folded three times, the Dao is first accomplished. / Far off I behold an immortal amidst iridescent clouds, / holding a lotus in hand to pay homage at the Jade Capital. / Having previously appointed a meeting beyond the nine heavens, / I wish to join Lu Ao in roaming the Great Purity.

4.58

Parting from the Monks of Donglin Temple

4.59

By the same [author]

4.60

Where guests are seen off at Donglin, / the moon rises and white apes cry. / Smiling, I take leave of Lushan far behind; / what need to trouble crossing Tiger Creek?

4.61

Gazing at the Waterfall of Lushan

4.62

By the same [author]

4.63

To the west I climb Incense Burner Peak, / to the south I behold the waterfall. / A hanging torrent of three hundred zhang, / spouting into the ravine for several thousand chi. / Suddenly coming forth like flying lightning, / hidden like a rising white rainbow. / At first I am startled, as if the Milky Way had fallen, / half-sprinkled amidst the cloudy heavens. / Looking up, its force turns ever more majestic— / how sublime the work of creation! / Ocean winds blow without severing it; / the river moon shines, yet reveals it as empty void. / Through the void it shoots in chaotic sprays, / washing the green cliffs to the left and right. / Flying pearls scatter like light rosy clouds; / drifting foam boils upon the vault of stone. / And as for me, roaming the famed mountain, / facing it, my heart grows ever more at leisure. / Moreover, harmonizing with what I have cherished of old, / I forever vow to take leave of the human realm.

4.64

The sun shines on Incense Burner Peak, generating purple mist; / afar, I gaze at the waterfall hanging like a long river. / Flying torrent plunges straight down three thousand feet, / suspected to be the Milky Way falling from the ninth heaven.

4.65

Gazing at the Five Elders Peak of Lushan

4.66

By the same [author]

4.67

Southeast of Lushan stands Five Elders Peak, / chiselled out of the blue sky like golden lotuses. / The sublime beauty of the nine streams may be gathered and bound; / here I shall lock myself away amidst the clouds and pines.

4.68

Seeing Off the Daoist Adept Li Tengkong on Her Return to Lushan

4.69

By the same [author]

4.70

I admire you, daughter of a prime minister's house, / who studies the Dao and loves divine immortals. / Plain hands scoop up autumn mists; / silk robes trail purple vapor. / Once you go to the folds of the screen peaks, / you will ride a simurgh and brandish a jade whip.

4.71

Seeing Off My Wife to Seek Tengkong

4.72

By the same [author]

4.73

When you seek Master Tengkong, / you should arrive at her home in the blue mountains. / Water pounds the pestle of mica; / wind sweeps the blossoms of the photinia. / If you become fond of the secluded dwelling, / invite each other to sport with the purple clouds.

4.74

The Waterfall

4.75

Emperor Xuanzong

4.76

Piercing clouds and penetrating stone, it begrudges no toil; / only when reaching the plains do we know how lofty its origin was. / How could a mountain stream ever detain it? / In the end it returns to the great sea to form billowing waves.

4.77

Lili

4.78

Yan Zhenqing

4.79

Zhang Liang thought of repaying the Han; / Gong Sheng was ashamed to serve the Xin. / The assassination attempt bitterly failed; / in grief at holding the official sash, he cast away his life. / Alas, Tao Yuanming / abandoned his career to remain a subject of Jin. / A descendant of dukes and chancellors, / he continually brooded on the distress of his ancestral realm. / He inscribed a poem in the gengzi year, / considering himself a man of the sovereign Fuxi. / In hand he held the Classic of Mountains and Seas; / on his head he wore his wine-straining kerchief. / His spirits pursued the distant lonely clouds; / his eloquence ceased along with the returning birds. (The complete poem has not been seen.)

4.80

Jianji Abbey

4.81

Zhang Hu

4.82

Beneath Purple Dawn Peak was the immortal of the Thatched Cottage; / for a thousand years, in vain remains the stone chime hanging. / White vapor rises at night: a dragon is in the waters; / blue clouds break in autumn: a crane returns to heaven. / The shadow of the bamboo chamber claims the moon in the central courtyard; / sounds at the pine balustrade come from the spring halfway up the cliff. / Tomorrow I shall again sigh over the floating world; / throughout the mountain, dreams merely linger as before.

4.83

A Springtime Tour of Inspection of Subordinate Cities, First Resting at the East and West Lin Vihāras

4.84

Wei Yingwu

4.85

Following the season, I inspect local customs / and extend favors to the elderly. / Raising the falcon banner, I departed Xunyang; / preparing my carriage, I roamed the mountains and streams. / White snow recedes from the sunlit ravines; / clustered peaks stand arrayed in the distant sky. / Rugged are the forms of Stone Gate; / misty and dim is the vapor of Incense Burner Peak. / Brambles and wilderness repeatedly caught my robes; / along distant ledges I was nearly overturned. / Only now do I reach the dwelling of the Śākyan sons, / where seasonal sights are repeatedly splendid and fair. / Master Tandi and Master Yuan originally founded it in the past; / herein was concealed the profound and mysterious. / At the East and West Bamboo Grove Temples, / the waters of cold mountain torrents pour forth. / Human affairs have already vanished into oblivion; / the months and years have stretched endlessly long. / The halls and chambers retain their vermilion and dark-blue paints; / the stone steps and galleried walkways all tilt and hang precariously. / Worthies of old also lodged and rested here, / preserving their persons and severing worldly ties. / Now, entrusted with the court's commission, / I extend moral transformation over towns and markets. / If the marvel of the Way is truly attained, / there is in principle no bias between worldly engagement and reclusion. / My mind has always shared what they esteemed; / how could my bodily traces shrink from worldly entanglements?

4.86

Inscribed for the Study at the Xilin Vihāra of My Fraternal Nephew Xu

4.87

By the same [author]

4.88

Most begin to lodge their minds [in the Dao] in their later years; / you alone have stilled your mind while young. / Admiring Duke Xie, you initiated your study at the vihāra; / relying on monks for literature, you seek to observe the marvelous. / A clear spring pours before the front steps; / a limpid pond shines through the north window. / Fruits and herbs grow mingled and fragrant; / pines and bamboos stand sparse and anciently steep. / Repeatedly climbing to the realm of the recluse, / you often gaze out upon the fragrant season. / Searching for chestnuts in the caves of dark apes; / gathering fungi along the ridges of the boat forest. / How could hemp robes keep out the cold? / Simple vegetables are not for satisfying hunger. / Though you are content with the humble alley to the north, / how could you freeze the luster of blue and purple robes? / The commandery has a couch for honoring the worthy; / the court registers flatteries for recommended scholars. / If you wish to ride in the vermilion-wheeled carriage, / do not fear the reproach of a summons to the mountain.

4.89

Inscribed for Censor Zheng's Thatched Cottage of Cherished Bequest

4.90

By the same [author]

4.91

The lay practitioner dwells close to monks, / building a thatched hut in the green mountains. / Sparse pines reflect the evening mountain mists; / a spring pool holds the green of moss. / Lush blooms cover the sunlit ridges; / fresh birds chirp in the secluded valley. / Whistling long, he climbs tall trees, / admiring these traces of a transcendent life.

4.92

Composed Beneath the Waterfall of the Western Torrent at Jianji Abbey

4.93

By the same [author]

4.94

Rushing currents scatter down sheer cliffs; / numinous vapor deepens in the emerald torrent. / Amidst the crags, pine winds arise, / fluttering, cleansing the worldly breast. / Peering through the creepers, enjoying apes and birds; / untying the official ribbons, wandering into the cloud-clad forest. / With tea and fruit, I invite true companions; / with cups of wine, our minds blend in harmony. / Through empty years I have cherished this pleasure; / traveling in spring, I at last seek it anew. / For now, taking my horizontal flute, / I give voice once more to the sound of streams and mountains.

4.95

Seeking the Waterfall at Jianji Abbey

4.96

By the same [author]

4.97

Treading on precariously tilted stones, I cross the swift torrent; / scaling the crags from afar, I delight in the hanging spring. / Still burdened by the tiger-striped bamboo tallies of official years, / I wish to entrust myself to the returning recluse and sever worldly ties.

4.98

Jianji Abbey

4.99

Qin Taoyu

4.100

Numinous traces beyond the worldly realm are rarely visited by guests; / bamboo rooms slantwise half-close their old thorn gates. / Ten thousand scrolls of cinnabar writings are inscribed with vermilion characters; / a thousand layers of azure peaks lock up the emerald mists. / Weeping with dew, a white ape leads its young away; / crying in the wind, a black crane returns close to man. / It must be that their names remain forever at the Jade Portal; / in the evening light, idle clouds drift vainly by themselves.

4.101

The Waterfall

4.102

Lu Chan

4.103

Its true source no man can fathom, / hanging a thousand feet at the clouds' edge. / Mountain colors cannot taint it; / divine craftsmanship could hardly shape it. / Spouting in summer, apes and birds freeze in stillness; / splashing in autumn, the Dipper and Ox feel cold. / Wait until it crosses into the vast ocean; / turning into billows, it will be even fairer to behold.

4.104

Scripture-Translating Terrace

4.105

Bao Ji

4.106

Wild vines grow below the high terrace; / the records of the former dynasty were not false. / Golden texts translated ancient gāthās; / Chinese characters transformed Hu writing. / Varicolored threads are severed, fluttering in the wind; / yellow silk remains half-burnt from fire. / Sundered clouds reveal the white sun; / penetrating the water, it illuminates the lotus flowers. / Tadpole scripts were repeatedly altered; / how many times has the Āmra Grove been hoed? / The gate of truth embraces transcendent meter; / in both respects I admire Sima Xiangru.

4.107

Inscribed on the Former Hall of the Late Bureau Director Xiao at Xilin Temple

4.108

Han Yu

4.109

The Palace Attendant had a daughter able to carry on his heritage; / Bodao had no son to preserve his clan. / By chance I came to the place where he once lived on Mount Kuang; / A few lines of sorrowful tears fall amid the mist and clouds.

4.110

The Waterfall

4.111

Xu Ning

4.112

The cascade spring, the cascade spring, stands a thousand fathoms straight; / Thunder gallops rushing to the sea without a moment's rest. / From past to present, ever like flying white silk, / A single strip slicing open the verdant mountain hue.

4.113

Visiting Master Tao's Former Residence (With Preface)

4.114

Bai Juyi

4.115

I have long admired Tao Yuanming as a person. In former years, while living at leisure along the Wei River, I once composed sixteen poems imitating the style of Tao. Now traveling to Lushan, I passed through his old village of Chaisang. Longing for the man, I visited his residence; unable to remain silent, I inscribed this poem as well:

4.116

Filth and dust do not sully jade; / The numinous phoenix does not peck at rank meat. / Alas, Tao Jingjie, / Was born between the Jin and Song dynasties! / In his heart there was truly something he upheld; / With his mouth, he ultimately could not speak. / I think forever of the sons of Guzhu, / Who brushed off their robes on Mount Shouyang. / Boyi and Shuqi were each alone; / For them, poverty and starvation were no hardship. / But the master had five sons, / Who shared his hunger and cold. / Within their bellies food was not sufficient; / Upon their bodies clothing was incomplete. / Repeated summons came, yet in the end he did not arise; / Such a man may truly be called a worthy! / I was born after you, / Separated by five hundred years. / Whenever I read the 'Biography of Five Willows', / My eyes envision it, my heart earnest and devoted. / In the past I once chanted of your legacy, / Writing sixteen pieces. / Today I come to visit your former home; / It feels solemnly as though standing before you. / I do not envy the cup having wine; / I do not envy the zither without strings. / I envy you for casting aside glory and profit, / Growing old and dying in this garden of hillocks. / Chaisang is an ancient hamlet; / Lili, its old mountain streams. / I do not see the chrysanthemums beneath the hedge; / Only the smoke among the ruins remains. / Though your descendants have declined, / The clan has not yet migrated away. / Whenever I meet someone surnamed Tao, / It makes my heart deeply moved as before.

4.117

Spring Outing to the Two Lin Temples

4.118

By the same [author]

4.119

Dismounting my horse at Xilin Temple, / Carefree, I step forward with a light cane. / At dawn, an official in the public office; / At dusk, a guest on the numinous mountain. / In the second month, the ice of Kuanglu / And its snow just begin to melt away. / Sunlit clusters sprout tea buds; / Shaded crevices vent veins of springs. / Genial and mild, the landscape grows warm; / Densely gathering, mountain mists accumulate. / Scattering, they form the spring of ten thousand ravines; / Congealing, they make a single breath of azure green. / When the body is at leisure, it easily remains placid; / When official duties are dismissed, there is no constraint. / Looking up to those eighteen worthies— / Past and present share this same delight! / This year the Huai bandits have arisen; / Everywhere weapons and armor are taken up. / Wise men exhaust their thought and strategy; / Military ministers toil in campaigns. / Only this untalented one / Amuses himself with springs and stones amid the mountains.

4.120

Excursion to Stone Gate Ravine

4.121

By the same [author]

4.122

At Stone Gate there is no old path; / Parting the brambles, I search for the remaining traces. / It happens to be autumn among mountains and waters; / The pure radiance is just as in ancient times. / I have heard that Huiyuan and his companions / Inscribed poems on this cliff wall. / Clouds conceal it, moss has sealed it; / All is azure-dark, with nothing to be found. / Sparse and desolate are the wild bamboos; / Crumbled and peeled are the stones of many years. / Ever since the Eastern Jin, / No one has traveled here again. / There is only the sound of the autumn stream, / Murmuring in vain from dawn to dusk.

4.123

Inscribed on Yuan Eighteen's Stream Pavilion (Beneath Five Elders Peak in the Southeast of Lushan)

4.124

By the same [author]

4.125

I wondered why you took no pleasure in serving as an official, / Nor traveled among prefectures and commanderies. / Today I arrived at your secluded dwelling, / And clearly understood the reason why. / Lodging at your Stone Stream Pavilion, / The sound of murmurings filled my ears. / Drinking the wine from your spiral cups, / Drunk and reclining, I could not rise. / Seeing your Five Elders Peak, / I regret even more having lived in cities. / Loving your three young sons, / For the first time I sigh that I have no child. / I am just now beneath Incense Burner Peak / Building a cottage to become a lay practitioner. / North of the mountain and south of the mountain, / Our visits back and forth shall begin from this.

4.126

Newly Establishing a Thatched Cottage Beneath Incense Burner Peak; Composed on the Occasion and Inscribed on a Rock

4.127

On the north face of Incense Burner Peak, / To the west of Yiai Temple: / How pure the white rocks are! / The clear stream also murmurs. / There are several dozen pine trees; / There are over a thousand bamboo stalks. / The pines spread out emerald parasols; / The bamboos lean like green jade poles. / Beneath them no person dwelled; / What a pity for so many years! / At times gibbons and birds gathered; / All day long, wind and mist hung in vain. / At that time there was a recluse, / Surnamed Bai, with the style Letian. / In his whole life he had no cravings; / Seeing this, his heart was moved as before. / As if having found a place to spend his old age, / All at once he forgot to return. / Resting upon the cliff, he built a thatched dwelling; / Hoeing the ravine, he laid out a tea plantation. / How to wash my ears? / Above the roof a flying cascade falls. / How to cleanse my eyes? / Below the steps white lotuses grow. / In my left hand I carry a wine jug; / In my right hand I hold a five-stringed zither. / Aloof and inwardly self-sufficient, / I sit with legs sprawled among them. / When high spirits reach their peak, I gaze at the sky and sing, / Entrusting these words into song: / 'I am originally a rustic man, / Mistakenly drawn into worldly nets. / When the time came, formerly I held up the sun; / Now growing old, I return to the mountains. / A weary bird finds a luxuriant tree; / A parched fish returns to a clear source. / Leaving this, where would I go? / In the mortal world there are many perils.'

4.128

Ascending to the Summit of Incense Burner Peak

4.129

By the same [author]

4.130

Towering high is Incense Burner Peak; / In my mind remained thoughts through ear and eye. / My whole life dragged by worldly labor, / Only today did I go there for once. / Clinging to creepers, treading perilous rocks, / My hands and feet toiled in bowing and reaching. / Three or four companions traveled together; / Two dared not ascend. / Ascending to the summit of the peak, / My eyes were dazzled, my spirit dazed. / Its heights and depths stretch ten thousand fathoms; / Its widths and breadths span countless leagues. / If one does not exhaust the realm of sight and hearing, / How can one know the vastness of the universe? / The river's water is thin as a rope; / The city of Penpu is smaller than a palm. / In my busy haste, what a petty person was I, / Unable to break free from dusty reins! / Returning, my thoughts feel inadequate; / Lowering my head, I reenter the mounds of ants.

4.131

Lodging at Jianji Abbey

4.132

By the same [author]

4.133

Against the cliff, white clouds still linger; / In the forest, red leaves have just begun to fall. / Autumn light leads me to leisurely stroll, / Not knowing whether I have gone near or far. / At dusk I take lodging at the numinous cave; / Lying down, I feel worldly schemes extinguished. / The desire for fame and profit already forgotten, / Dreams of marketplaces and courts are also ended. / Even a temporary visit is like this; / How much more so a lifelong seclusion! / With what do I cure my midnight hunger? / A single spoonful of mica powder.

4.134

Lodging at Xilin Temple

4.135

By the same [author]

4.136

The trees have shed their leaves, the sky is clear, and the mountain emerald opens; / Loving the mountain, I ride my horse into the hills. / In my heart I know I cannot equal the Magistrate of Chaisang; / Spending one night at Xilin, I turn back again.

4.137

Lodging at Xilin Temple, Setting Out Early for the Gathering of Superior Man Man at Donglin, and Sent to Vice Director Cui Twenty-two

4.138

By the same [author]

4.139

Banished, I bade farewell to the palace gates, parted from the court flock; / Grown old, I enter Mount Lu, followed by the deer. / In the gathering dusk, desolate, I seek lodging at the temple; / In the clear dawn, pure and tranquil, I keep an appointment with the monk. / At the twin Lin temples, I rise after hearing the bell; / On odd-numbered days, you hasten to enter the Hall of State. / The heights and depths of the roc and the quail are each fixed by destiny; / Do not exhaust your heart and strength with long-distance longing.

4.140

Inscribed on the Hot Spring Beneath Lushan

4.141

By the same [author]

4.142

A single eye of hot spring flows to the east, / Soaking the mud and watering the grass, its warmth achieving nothing. / For what reason did the warm waters of Mount Li / Flow into golden ornaments and jade basins?

4.143

Ascending Incense Burner Peak

4.144

By the same [author]

4.145

Leaning against rocks and clutching creepers, I rest my sickly body, / With a green-jointed bamboo cane and a white gauze kerchief. / When someone paints a screen of Mount Lu in days to come, / That will be the man atop Incense Burner Peak.

4.146

The Mountain Thatched Cottage Beneath Incense Burner Peak Being Newly Completed, Inscribed by Chance on the Eastern Wall

4.147

A new thatched cottage of five roof-frames and three bays: / Stone foundations, cassia pillars, and stone-interwoven walls. / The south eaves take in the sun, warm in the months of winter; / The north doors greet the breeze, cool in the months of summer. / Sprinkling the steps, the flying cascade barely makes a sound; / Brushing the windows, slanted bamboos have not yet formed a row. / Next spring I shall add thatch to the eastern wing, / With paper screens and reed blinds to accommodate Meng Guang.

4.148

Playfully Presented to Administrative Assistant Li Thirteen

4.149

By the same [author]

4.150

Dropping my whip to see you off, tipsily drunk, / Seeing Mount Lu from afar, I pointed it out to you. / I imagine you have just begun to feel the joy of joining the military, / And do not yet care for the man atop Incense Burner Peak.

4.151

Taking Various Mountain Guests to Ascend Incense Burner Peak Together, We Met Rain and Returned Drenched and Disheveled, Laughing and Joking at Each Other; Inscribed to Dispel the Teasing

4.152

By the same [author]

4.153

Unfettered, we set out to climb the mountain; / Tottering and disheveled, we met rain and returned. / Along perilous stone steps we clutched creeping figs; / On slippery rocks we trod green moss. / When socks were soiled, you teased each other; / When my shoes tore open, I laughed at myself. / Do not despise these muddy feet: / They once trod upon the jade palace steps!

4.154

Reading Lingche's Poems

4.155

By the same [author]

4.156

Inside Donglin Temple, beneath the western corridor, / On stone slabs were carved several poems. / Their words and lines were surprisingly distinctive; / Looking at the name, I knew it was old Master Tang.

4.157

Parting from the Thatched Cottage: Three Quatrains

4.158

By the same [author]

4.159

Just as I was listening to the mountain birds, sleeping toward the sun, / The yellow-paper appointment fell before my pillow. / Moved by my lord's favor, I must rise for a while; / I did not intend to dwell on Lu Peak for many years.

4.160

Long sleeping in coarse cloth as a lay practitioner, / Suddenly I put on a crimson robe to serve as governor. / Though my body leaves the Thatched Cottage, my heart does not leave Mount Lu; / There is no need yet to issue a proclamation to vacate the mountain.

4.161

A thatched cottage of three bays opens toward the mountain; / A single ribbon of mountain spring winds around the cottage. / Mountain scenery and water sounds, do not be sorrowful: / In three years, when my term of office is fulfilled, I shall return.

4.162

Inscribed to Part from the Yiai Thatched Cottage, Also Presented to Governor Li Ten (Li Was Then at Lushan, Usually Residing at White Deer Grotto)

4.163

By the same [author]

4.164

I once dwelt beneath Incense Burner Peak; / The studio faced the terrace of medicinal herbs. / Freshly sprouted vine paths have closed; / As of old, the bamboo window opens. / The stepped water I opened and cleared with my own hands; / The pond lotuses I planted myself. / Only after five years do I arrive for a short while; / After one night I must turn back again. / Even if I cannot return for good, / It is still better than not coming at all. / Your home is at White Deer Grotto; / I hear that it too has grown moss.

4.165

In Front of the Thatched Cottage a New Pond Was Dug, to Raise Fish and Plant Lotuses, Providing Secluded Pleasure Daily

4.166

Murmuring are the waters of the Three Gorges; / Vast and billowy is the marsh of ten thousand acres. / Yet they are not like the surface of this new pond, / Where a gentle breeze stirs ripples. / Little duckweed drifts freely; / Fresh cattails grow lush and full. / Red carps of two or three inches; / White lotuses on eight or nine stalks. / Circling the water, a path is about to form; / Guarding the dyke, a fence has just been inserted. / Already the mountain guests / Have called it 'the Pond of the Bai Family.'

4.167

Appointment with the White Clouds (Composed Beneath Huangming Cliff)

4.168

By the same [author]

4.169

At thirty, one's vigor is too fierce, / and in one's breast are many disputes of right and wrong. / At sixty, one's body is too old, / and the four limbs can no longer support oneself. / From forty to fifty, / is precisely the time to retire into leisure. / Advanced in years, one recognizes one's allotted destiny; / sluggish in heart, one undertakes few enterprises. / Seeing wine, the gusto is still there; / climbing mountains, one's strength has not yet failed. / My years are fortunately suited to this; / for now, I make my pact with the white clouds.

4.170

Chant on Leaving the Mountain

4.171

By the same author

4.172

At dawn I chanted poems of roaming with the immortals; / at dusk I sang songs of gathering ferns. / Reclining on clouds and sitting on white rocks, / I lodged fifteen nights in the mountains. / Walking, I follow the water emerging from the cavern; / turning, I part from the bamboos climbing along the crags. / Sooner or later I shall return to roam again; / my heart's hope rests with the jasper grass.

4.173

Inscribed on Great Master Yuan's Tomb

4.174

Monk Lingche

4.175

At the ancient grave the stones are craggy and cold; / clouds and evening scenery congeal. / In vain I grieve beneath the moon over Tiger Creek, / no longer seeing the Monk of Yanmen.

4.176

At Donglin Temple, Sent to Vice Minister Bao

4.177

By the same author

4.178

The ancient hall has pure shade, and the mountain trees are green; / by the pond, tiptoeing on a rock, I contemplate the body. / Who can come here to sit burning incense, / together making twenty persons at Incense Burner Peak?

4.179

Inscribed on the Water Hall of Xilin Temple, Respectfully Sent to the Duke of Wuyang

4.180

By the same author

4.181

Day after day loving the mountains, I return already late; / leisurely and idly, I spent my youthful years in vain. / The rest of my person is bound to be lodged in the woods to grow old, / my heart making its pact with the tall pines and a patch of stone.

4.182

Jianji Abbey

4.183

By the same author

4.184

Ancient cypresses and ancient cedars stand between the cliff faces; / apes clamber and cranes nest where withered branches snap. / In the fifth month there is ice, in the sixth month it is cold; / at times one sees an immortal elder coming to fetch snow.

4.185

At Daming Abbey on Five Elders Peak, Presented to a Recluse

4.186

Yao Xi

4.187

The Cloud Abbey lies north of this mountain; / holding hands with you has been rare. / At the edge of the woods, I cross transverse streams; / at the mouth of the cavern, I enter the slanting glow. / Suddenly I sense that the luan-birds and cranes are near; / abruptly they fly away into the mist and vapors. / My old friend is a pure and harmonious guest, / silently attuning to the subtleties of the zither's heart. / Fortunately, the cinnabar arts may be transmitted; / the Azure Dragon shall return. / The lingering wishes of a lifetime / this day again turn contrary.

4.188

Jianji Abbey

4.189

Sun Fang

4.190

The corridors and halls connect with the clouds, / beside the purple empyrean and dark azure. / Naturally there ought to be elixirs; / who dares say there are no immortals? / The color of moss swallows the cliff paths; / the sound of pines yields to the cascading springs. / Unable to rest forever and depart, / how could this merely be due to prior affinity?

4.191

Lodging at Master of Alchemy Liang's Immortal Dwelling in Green Ox Valley

4.192

Yang Heng

4.193

Following the clouds, I walk into Green Ox Valley; / the Daoist of the Green Ox bids me stay the night. / Lovely indeed, deep into the night beneath the bright moon, / there is only a single branch of bamboo beside the altar.

4.194

Bestowed upon a Recluse of Mount Lu

4.195

By the same author

4.196

The wind rings the bell beyond the clouds; / a crane roosts in the thousand-year-old pine. / Yearning for each other, you are distant and unseen; / the moon rises over layer upon layer of mountains.

4.197

The Waterfall

4.198

Jiang Wei

4.199

Facing due south from Mount Lu, / the waterfall has been famed since antiquity. / Ten thousand li, it pays court to the vast sea; / a thousand fathoms, it issues from the white clouds. / Its cold sound is ever far-reaching; / who can divide its numinous stream? / Setting aside Mount Tiantai, / none of the level-flowing waters can rival it.

4.200

Jianji Abbey

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Linked texts (1)

廬山記 — Classical Chinese