English Rendering
You beat your evening drum and ring your morning bell,
Doors closed, a pillow facing a lamp, you rest well.
After poking among gray ashes embers red,
You hear snow-flakes fall shower by shower while abed.
Written for the Meditation Room of the Abbot of the Double Bamboo Monastery
- Poetry of Su Shi
《书双竹湛师房 (其二)》
Original Text (中文原文)
暮鼓朝钟自击撞，闭门孤枕对残釭。
白灰旋拨通红火，卧听萧萧雨打窗。
Analysis & Context
The Double Bamboo Monastery, a popular name for the Temple of Compassionate God of Mercy, was in Hangzhou.
Reader's Companion
The Essence of the Verse
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.
Reading Between the Lines
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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