鐔津文集 12.26

12.26

西湖氣象不並他處。朝暉夕靄黯澹清瑩。無時不好。山嶂樓閣金翠交眯。荷花戰風芳香四散。薰然乍眡恍若異境。然人心清濁感物乃爾。而為道者安得不擇其所居。詮上人諷經詠詩。習草聖書敞荷香亭。資湖景而助清心。慕道之興可見矣。熙寧己酉季冬二十五潛子題。

The atmosphere of West Lake cannot be compared to other places: morning radiance and evening mists, shadowy and clear-glistening, never failing to be fine. Mountain ridges and storied pavilions intertwine in gold and emerald to dazzle the eyes. Lotus flowers tussle with the wind, their fragrance scattering in all four directions; fragrant and gentle, a momentary glance makes one feel as if in an otherworldly realm. However, whether the human mind is pure or turbid responds to external things in just this way; how could a practitioner of the Dao fail to choose where he dwells? The Superior Man Quan intones sutras, chants poems, practices the cursive calligraphy of sages, and has opened up the Lotus Fragrance Pavilion, utilizing the lake scenery to assist his pure mind. His aspiration to admire the Dao can well be seen! Inscribed by Qianzi on the twenty-fifth day of the last month of winter in the jiyou year of the Xining reign [early 1070].