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The
incomparable poetry of Han Shan (Cold
Mountain) and his
sidekick Shih Te, the rebel poets who became icons of Chinese poetry and Zen, has
long captured the imagination of poetry lovers and Zen aficionados. Popularized
in the West by Beat Generation writers Gary Snyder and Jack Kerouac, these
legendary T’ang era (618–907) figures are portrayed as the laughing, ragged
pair who left their poetry on stones, trees, farmhouses, and the walls of the
monasteries they visited. Their poetry
expressed in the simplest verse but in a completely new tone, the voice of
ordinary people.
Here premier translator J. P. Seaton
takes a fresh look at these captivating poets, along with Wang Fan-chih,
another “outsider” poet who lived a couple centuries later and who captured the
poverty and gritty day-to-day reality of the common people of his time. Seaton’s
comprehensive introduction and notes throughout give a fascinating context to
this vibrant collection.
From Part One: Cold Mountain
XXXVII
Some folks point to the sharp-tanged spring-tree
and claim it’s the fragrant, sacred sandalwood . . .
As grains of sand are the multitudes
who’ve sought the way like this.
They’ve tried to lead the Way so too.
How many, though, of any of these
have ever reached nirvana?
They throw out the gold and haul away the straw.
But fooling other folks, they’ve fooled themselves.
On a pathway made of sand,
it’s hard to make a mud ball.
—Han Shan
From Part Two: The Foundling's Poems
III
I’ve always been Shih Te, the Foundling.
It’s not some accidental title.
Yet I’m not without a family.
Han Shan’s my brother.
Two men with hearts a lot alike.
No need for vulgar love.
If you want to know how old we are . . .
like the Yellow River, that’s unclear.
—Shih Te
From Part Three: Cold City Streets
XVII
When I move, the city walls move too.
When I nap, I’m sure, the walls stand firm.
But when I die, the walls will all come tumbling
down.
And all you folks will be in danger.
—Wang Fan-chih
1 Cold Mountain: Poems of Master Han Shan
2 The Foundling's Poems: Poems of Master Shih Te
3 Cold City Streets: Poems of Wang Fan-chih, The Buddhist Layman
Notes to the Poems
Index of First Liines
Overview
The
incomparable poetry of Han Shan (Cold
Mountain) and his
sidekick Shih Te, the rebel poets who became icons of Chinese poetry and Zen, has
long captured the imagination of poetry lovers and Zen ...