Farewell to Abbot Ming of Juezhu Temple
- Poetry of Zeng Gong

《送觉祖院明上人》
Farewell to Abbot Ming of Juezhu Temple by Zeng Gong
English Translation

New walls carve solar-lunar cycles deep,

Hall of Plenum stacks cliffs where sages sleep.

Autumn's momentum amplifies bronze vowels,

Buddha's jade throne parts cold clouds like towels.


Two streams flee toward twin gullies' oath,

Four mountains kneel to guard this growth.

Unicorn grass spells out south-east roads—

Pine gates gaze far with wisdom's loads.

This farewell poem was composed by Zeng Gong for Venerable Ming, a Buddhist monk departing from Juezu Temple. Through vivid depictions of the temple's majestic architecture and its harmonious natural surroundings, Zeng conveys both reverence for the monastic environment and profound human attachment. The work exemplifies his signature fusion of scene and sentiment, where spiritual grandeur and personal emotion intertwine.

中文原文( Chinese )

冠石新墙日月回，丰堂环殿起崔嵬。

钟随秋势金声壮，佛隐寒云玉座开。

流水远奔双涧去，平林高拥四山来。

麒麟细草南东路，一望松门意自哀。

- Last updated: 2025-10-05 15:38:45
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Why Chinese poems is so special?
The most distinctive features of Chinese poetry are: concision- many poems are only four lines, and few are much longer than eight; ambiguity- number, tense and parts of speech are often undetermined, creating particularly rich interpretative possibilities; and structure- most poems follow quite strict formal patterns which have beauty in themselves as well as highlighting meaningful contrasts.
How to read a Chinese poem?
Like an English poem, but more so. Everything is there for a reason, so try to find that reason. Think about all the possible connotations, and be aware of the different possibilities of number and tense. Look for contrasts: within lines, between the lines of each couplet and between successive couplets. Above all, don't worry about what the poet meant- find your meaning.

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