Jul
7
2009
Seventh Day Seventh Month
Tangle together like painted
Clouds on a screen, then,
Thighs enlaced, heads together
On the pillow we sing softly
To the full moon and watch time pass.
The declining moon marks the hours.
Suddenly we are seized by grief and fear.
Three o’clock in the morning
Has gone by but we cannot
[...]
2 comments | tags: Kuan-Yun-She, photography, poetry | posted in Chinese, Inspiring, literature, photography, poetry
May
15
2009
Thoughts
When all thoughts
Are exhausted
I slip into the woods
And gather
A pile of shepherd’s purse.
Like the little stream
Making its way
Through the mossy crevices
I, too, quietly
Turn clear and transparent.
Zen Master Ryokan
Continue reading
no comments | tags: Maezumi-Roshi, paul-reps, photography, poetry, zen, Zen-masters | posted in Chinese, Inspiring, literature, photography, poetry
May
14
2009
Those falling blossoms
all return to the branch when
I watch butterflies
Moritake
no comments | tags: cherry-blossoms, Chinese, haiku, moritake, photography, poetry | posted in Chinese, literature, photography, poetry
Apr
24
2009
Moss covered paths between scarlet peonies,
Pale jade mountains fill your rustic windows.
I envy you, drunk with flowers,
Butterflies swirling in your dreams.
Ch’ien Ch’i
2 comments | tags: Ch’ien-Ch’i, chinese-poetry, peony, photography, scarlet-peony | posted in Chinese, literature, photography, poetry
Apr
24
2009
Written on the wall at Chang’s hermitage
It is Spring in the mountains.
I come alone seeking you.
The sound of chopping wood echoes
Between the silent peaks.
The streams are still icy.
There is snow on the trail.
At sunset I reach your grove
In the stony mountain pass.
You want nothing, although at night
You [...]
no comments | tags: chinese-poetry, japan, photography, tu-fu | posted in Chinese, literature, photography
Mar
20
2009
幽鳥語如篁 A bird in a secluded grove sings like a flute.
柳搖金線長 Willows sway gracefully with their golden threads.
雲歸山谷静 The mountain valley grows the quieter as the clouds return.
風送杏花香 A breeze brings along the fragrance of the apricot flowers.
永日蕭然坐 For a whole day I have sat here encompassed by peace,
澄心萬虞忘 Till my mind is cleansed in [...]
2 comments | tags: Ch'an-master, Fa-yen, Zen-masters, zen-poetry | posted in Chinese, literature, poetry
Mar
19
2009
Green Mountain
They ask me why I live in the green mountains.
I smile and don’t reply; my heart’s at ease.
Peach blossoms flow downstream, leaving no trace –
And there are other earths and skies than these.
Li Po
Tr. Vikram Seth
Li Bai or Li Po (Chinese: 李白; pinyin: Lǐ Bái / Lǐ Bó) (701 – 762) was a [...]
no comments | tags: Li-Bai, li-po, photography, poetry | posted in Chinese, Inspiring, literature, poetry
