The cinnabar peaks coil like lovers’ spines,
This haunted vale in sacred mist entwines.
Halls lurk where cliff-born vapors creep,
Monks sip from veins where stone gods weep.
Serpents and dragons mate in gloom,
Phantoms seal each vaulted room.
Ravines bleed toward altars black,
Mountains kneel where dead trees crack.
Celestial blooms refuse decay,
Moon-milk floods the ghost-road’s way.
This flesh—a sack of sins and woe—
Where shall the damned soul go?
南山势回合，灵境依此住。
殿转云崖阴，僧探石泉度。
龙蛇争翕习，神鬼皆密护。
万壑奔道场，群峰向双树。
天花飞不著，水月白成路。
今日观身我，归心复何处。
Composed in 756 CE during the An Lushan Rebellion, this poem emerges from Qiwu Qian’s southern exile to Qixia Temple near Jinling (modern Nanjing). Amidst wartime chaos, the aging poet finds solace in this mountain sanctuary, where Buddhist tranquility contrasts with earthly turmoil. Through layered imagery of sacred geography and cosmic devotion, Qiwu weaves personal refuge with universal Dharma, crafting a meditation on impermanence and the elusive nature of spiritual homecoming.
Classical Chinese poetry thrives on Concision and Ambiguity. Without tense or number, the words create a timeless space where the reader becomes the co-creator of the poem's meaning.
Look for Contrasts: light and shadow, movement and stillness. Don't just translate the words; feel the Yijing (artistic conception) that lingers long after the last character.
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