Forty years old, I’ve sinned With this cup of wine, To wander in the wind On a path without a sign. Looking up to the mountain top, With hints of blossoms laid, I ponder this life I’ll swap For some quiet beneath the shade.
Read MoreSpringtime in Central Park
In Central Park the cherries start to bloom This sun-drenched day when birds have left their notes For us, intruders in their sanctuary moats, Unseen but heard where shaded branches loom. I walk a path that’s filled with cut-wood chips, Fine grass and leaves enveloping …
Read MoreMorning Meditation
This morning the sky imparted its willOn spring, on summer, when all aroundIs rain and mist, and darkness still,Distilled for a moment in the river’s sound. These years I’ve buried my head in booksHave come and gone with the green dawn air;Last night I walked by …
Read MoreAt the Xinzhou Water Pavilion
At the southern edge, around a turn,The earth is filled by a sea of white;The day has passed, but I haven’t returnedFrom this gardenia trance, both scent and sight. Original Chinese poem by Zhang Hu
Read MoreReturning to the Lake Pavilion at Night
As the sun dies down I lie in the lake pavilion,Heart disturbed and drawn by various affairs;Sleep ruined, I wake and drink, intoxicated,Sitting and waiting in the cool night air. Rain in the pines has sent my rattan hat afloat,The river wind has pierced my hempen …
Read MoreEarth
If you want to milk the Earth as a cow, Then nourish the soil with seed and plow; For when it’s set with deep grown roots, Like a plentiful tree, it will yield many fruits. Inspired by a Sanskrit poem by Bhartri-Hari, as translated in …
Read MoreShores of Regret
eternal track to heaven beneath the shadows— eyes turned up to the sky like a prison of light showers fallen to the sea as if dreaming of dust and weeping until it rolls to the shores of regret
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