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齊己 Qiji (863-937)
[= Nanyue Qiji 南嶽齊己 (861–933?)]
Poems by 齊己 Qi Ji (863-937)
Translations by Luo Zhihai (1954-, China)
野步
城里无闲处
却寻城外行
田园经雨水
乡国忆桑耕
傍涧蕨薇老
隔村冈陇横
何穷此心兴
时复鹧鸪声Walking in the Open Country
In town the noise loud
Went on foot outside town
Fields and gardens bathed by the rain
In the Open Country recalled plough and sowing former days
Beside the stream, the fernbrake withered
The ditches transverse in another village
My happy moods endless
From time to time heard the sound of partridges
翡翠
水边飞去青难辨
竹里归来色一般
磨吻鹰鹯莫相害
白鸥鸿 鹤满沙滩Emerald
Fly to the waterside and can't difficultly tell yellow or green
Back from the bamboos, the ordinary color
Eagle and vulture don't harm each other
Gull and crane full of the beach
耕叟
春风吹蓑衣
暮雨滴箬笠
夫妇耕共劳
儿孙饥对泣
田园高且瘦
赋税重复急
官仓鼠雀群
共待新租入An Old Man in Plough
Spring breeze blew the rain cape
Evening rain dropped on the bamboo hat
Couples ploughed together in pains
But their hungry children and grandchildren wept face to face
Fields and gardens high and thin
Tax revenue heavy and quick
A group of official storehouses, mousses and sparrows
They expected the new hires and rice to come in
新栽松
野僧教种法
苒苒出蓬蒿
百岁催人老
千年待尔高
静宜兼竹石
幽合近猿猱
他日成阴后
秋风吹海涛The Planted Pine Newly
The wild monk tought the planting method
More luxuriant than crown daisy
Hundred years urge a person to die slowly
But thousand years wait for you tall
In peace adjoin bamboos and rocks aptly
Deep and quietly close near the apes
Your shadow in the future days
The autumn wind blows the sea waves
Ch'i-chi (864-937)
Translations by Burton Watson
In: The Clouds Should Know Me By Now: Buddhist Poet Monks of China
Wisdom Publications, 1998, pp. 43-74.
INTRODUCTION
CH'I-CHI IS ONE OF A GROUP of Buddhist monks that were active in poetry circles in the closing years of the T'ang dynasty, the other most prominent member of the group being Kuan-hsiu (832–912). They exchanged poems with many of the secular poets of the time, and their works influenced the development of Buddhist poetry in the centuries that followed.
Ch'i-chi, whose family name was Hu, was born in the Ch'angsha area of Hunan. Orphaned at an early age, he entered a nearby temple on Mount Ta-kuei, an important training center for monks of the Ch'an or Zen school, and in time became an ordained monk. Like many of the Ch'an monks of the period, he traveled around to other Buddhist centers. His name is associated in particular with Mount Heng in Hunan, and, as his poems reveal, he spent time in the Tung-lin-ssu temple at Mount Lu and the Kuoch'ing-ssu temple at Mount T'ien-t'ai. He also lived at one period in Ch'ang-an and acquainted himself with the Buddhist centers in the capital area.
When Ch'i-chi was young, China was beset by severe political and social turmoil as the T'ang dynasty faltered to a close.The rebellion led by Huang Ch'ao (d. 884) in particular devastated large areas of the country. In 907 T'ang rule ended when a military governor declared himself founder of a new dynasty known as the Posterior Liang. These troubled conditions and the hardships they inflicted on the population are alluded to in some of the poems that follow.
In 921 Ch'i-chi was invited by Kao Tsung-hui, military commissioner of the Chiang-ling area in Hupei, to head a temple called the Lung-hsing-ssu in Chiang-ling. In 928 Kao became ruler of an independent kingdom called Nan-p'ing, or Ching-nan, with his capital at Chiang-ling, and Ch'i-chi was apparently able to live the remainder of his life in Chiang-ling, associating with many of the eminent poet-officials of the time and enjoying wide recognition for his literary activities. In addition to poems, he wrote two brief critical works on poetry.
Ch'i-chi's poems are preserved in a work entitled Pai-lien-chi, or The White Lotus Collection , and are also found in chapters 838–847 of the Ch'üan T'ang shih , or Complete T'ang Poetry .The Pai-lien-chi is in ten chuan and contains about 820 poems.They do not appear to be arranged in any special order, though works of a satirical nature are for the most part grouped in the final chapter.
Most of Ch'i-chi's poems, as the titles indicate, were written in reply to poems from friends or to commemorate visits, farewell parties, or other social occasions. Some describe a particular scene or object in nature or deal with the poet's daily life, but there are very few works of an openly doctrinal nature.
Ch'i-chi wrote in the rather bland and low-key style favored by many poets of the late T'ang, a style modeled largely on that of Chia Tao (779–843), who spent the earlier years of his life as a Ch'an monk. Like the others of his group, he employs literary allusions sparingly and avoids any expression of intense emotion, aiming rather for an air of calmness and resignation.
As is common for writers in this style, Ch'i-chi's favors the eight-line lu-shih, or regulated verse form, which requires strict verbal parallelism in the two middle couplets, with a few poems in the four-line chueh-chu form. He also wrote a few works on yueh-fu , or folk song themes, in old poetry style in which he voiced criticisms of the moral and social ills of the time.
NOT SLEEPING
(5-character regulated verse, CTS 838)Long night, no inclination to sleep,
empty hall, opening and shutting doors:
deliberately I move out of the glow of the lamp,
wait where I'll catch the moonlight when it comes.
Falling leaves suspended, snagged in a bird's nest,
streams of fireflies circling round me—
at dawn I dust off the sutra stand,
sandalwood ash from one stick of incense.
SENT TO A POETRY FRIEND
(5-character regulated verse, CTS 838. In line two the term k'u-hsin , “laboring mind,”
refers in particular to the process of poetic composition.
Ch'i-chi and his contemporaries liked to emphasize how hard they worked at writing poetry.)Ten thousand things in heaven and earth—
all should be fodder for the laboring mind.
Though others would like to understand,
this Way of Poetry is profound indeed!
Returning to simplicity, you ignore current happenings,
shut your gate, getting through the year-end.
I thought of you these past fall evenings,
both of us facing the cold lamp, composing.
WHITE HAIR
(5-character regulated verse, CTS 838)Don't dye it, don't pull it out,
let it grow all over your head.
No medicine can stop the whiteness,
the blackness won't last out the fall.
Lay your head on a quiet pillow, hear the cicadas,
idly incline it to watch the waters flow—
The reason we can't rise to this broader view of life
is because, white hair, you grieve us so!
LITTLE PINES
(5-character regulated verse, CTS 840)Poking up from the ground barely above my knees,
already there's holiness in their coiled roots.
Though harsh frost has whitened the hundred grasses,
deep in the courtyard, one grove of green!
In the late night long-legged spiders stir;
crickets are calling from the empty stairs.
A thousand years from now who will stroll
among these trees,
fashioning poems on their ancient dragon shapes?
STOPPING AT NIGHT AT HSIANG-YIN
(5-character regulated verse, CTS 841.
Written when the poet was on his way by boat from Mount Heng to Ching-chou
and was stopping at Hsiang-yin on Lake Tung-t'ing in Hunan, near his old home in Ch'ang-sha.)Wind and waves rising on Lake Tung-t'ing,
the sail's reflection cast over clear waters:
somewhere a startled swan flies up
as our lone boat chases the moon.
I see so many sites these days where battles raged,
broad-stretching fields but no trace of spring planting.
And what of my kin—do they still exist,
and the groves of home near this country town?
ON AN AUTUMN EVENING:
LISTENING TO REVEREND YEH PLAY THE CH'IN
(5-character regulated verse, CTS 841.
The ch'in , a zither-like stringed instrument played in horizontal position,
symbolizes the morally uplifting music of antiquity.)The ten thousand things all hushed and silent,
intent upon hearing these upright tones—
when human hearts are all like this,
then the world will be at peace.
Hsiang waters pouring forth autumn blue,
ancient winds blowing across the great void—
I heard them long ago when you played on Mt. Lu;
this evening I discover them again.
AUTUMN EVENING:
TO SEND TO MY NIECES AND NEPHEWS
(5-character regulated verse, CTS 841.
The poet writing to his relatives in his old home in Ch'ang-sha.)Each year, come the late autumn evenings,
I sit by the lamp recalling my old home,
gardens and groves red with oranges and pomelos,
windows and doors blue with Hsiao and Hsiang waters.
But since I left you old age has come on,
I quail at the long road that parts us.
Brothers young and old, just so you're well,
tending fields and silkworms amid these fires of war!
THINKING OF A MONK OF FLOWER SUMMIT ON MOUNT T'IEN-T'AI
(5-character regulated verse, CTS 842.
Flower Summit is the highest peak in the T'ien-t'ai Mountains, a range overlooking the ocean in Chekiang that is noted for its Buddhist and Taoist temples. Stone Bridge and the waterfall beneath it are natural features of the mountains, often mentioned in poetry. Kuo-ch'ing-ssu, at the foot of the range, is the main Buddhist temple in the area. The Wise One (Chih-chi) is the famous Buddhist monk and philosopher Chih-i (538–597), the virtual founder of the T'ien-t'ai school of Buddhism. His stupa is located halfway up the mountain.)Flower Summit precipitous, overlooking the sea,
Stone Bridge enveloped in rosy sunset—
once from Kuo-ch'ing Temple
I climbed up to gaze at moon-bright tides.
Kindly birds drew close to my incense and lamp;
the wild stream jetted into empty air.
I wish I could go again, make the Wise One my teacher,
but my head is white and the road so very long.
UP AFTER ILLNESS, I WATCH THE IDLE CLOUDS
(5-character regulated verse, CTS 842)Up after illness, I watch the idle clouds
crowding together in the sky, then parting,
pausing long enough to laugh at me—
I could never match your twists and turnings!
Colliding with rocks, you leave no trace;
obeying the wind, you seem to have ears.
This mountain of the immortals has phoenixes enough—
better be off to flock with your own kind.
QUIETLY DISCUSSING MY THOUGHTS WITH THE COLLATOR OF TEXTS TS'UI
(7-character regulated verse, CTS 844.
Nothing is known of the poet's friend Ts'ui except what the poem tells us, namely that he held the rather low official post of collator of texts.)Both born in the same year of the Hsien-t'ung era, [1]
one serving Buddha, one a Confucian, highest of aims.
It's my nature—I'm content to wear these robes
of the patriarch,
though at heart you still wait the day you can doff
your blue official's gown.
Frosty whiskers—how many times do you consult
the bronze mirror at dawn? [2]
Snowy locks‚ thin with the cold, they fall before my razor.
Withdrawal from the world, audience with the
sovereign—neither of us got that far,
but no harm if we exchange these greetings in rhyme.
AFTER THE REBELLION, VISITING WEST MOUNTAIN TEMPLE
(7-character regulated verse, CTS 845)Pines charred, temple wrecked, all from the fighting;
valleys transformed, ridges shifted—unbelievable
events! [3]
Among clouds I suddenly meet the new head priest;
on the rocks I spy inscriptions from earlier visits.
Idly I sit peering at a ruined pond where lotuses
bloomed,
pick my way over broken tiles of a once neatly
patterned walk.
I hope to join these fine monks in mending ties;
I for one have no plans to abandon the road I'm on.
THE YEAR KENG-WU, NIGHT OF THE FIFTEENTH, FACING THE MOON
(7-character chueh-chu , CTS 847.
The Keng-wu year is 910, three years after the overthrow of the T'ang and the establishment of the Posterior Liang dynasty. Emperor Hsuan-tsung (r. 712–755) was the ruler whose reign marked the height of T'ang culture and whose follies helped lead to the long decline and downfall of the dynasty and the destruction of its capital, Ch'ang-an.)Sea calm, sky blue, moon just now full—
in my poems I think how cold Hsuan-tsung must
be tonight.
The jade rabbit in the moon, if he has a heart, will
remember too,
as he looks west and cannot see the old Ch'ang-an.
DON'T ASK
(“Don't Ask” is a series of fifteen poems in five-character
regulated verse form, all of which begin with the words mo wen ,
or “don't ask.” The series was written in 921 when the poet was
appointed to head a temple called Lung-hsing-ssu in Chiang-ling,
Hupei. The appointment was made by Kao Tsung-hui, the military
commissioner of the area. In a brief introduction to the series, Ch'i-chi
describes his new appointment by saying: “Originally I was a monk
of the green mountains, sitting in solitary meditation on a white rock.
But now these noblemen have built rooms to house me, provided
funds to feed me, and arranged for my complete comfort. Relieved of
all the ten thousand concerns, at liberty to roam or rest as I choose,
I hence no longer need keep company with the clouds and springs,
the wild monkeys and birds. If I can be as carefree as this, what
could there be to tie me down?”)DON'T ASK
(5-character regulated verse, CTS 842, first in the series)Don't ask if I'm out of touch with human affairs:
kings, marquises—I leave all to them now.
Boorish by nature, no harm if I let it show,
the way I did when I lived in the mountains.
In quiet moments I enter the soundless music,
in my madness reject properly ordered poems.
I act for myself, look after myself,
hoping the man in charge will understand.
DON'T ASK
(Fifth in the series)Don't ask why I shut my gate—
from times past, few comings and goings.
The Way should rest in simplicity,
the body's best suited to vacant idleness.
On four sides green moss surrounds me,
my lone window dotted with rain spatters.
And where do dream-wanderings take me?
To where autumn is coloring the riverside hills.
DON'T ASK
(Ninth in the series)Don't ask if I've ceased my wanderings—
already I've tramped all over the south.
Understanding should be what you yourself understand;
mind is not someone else's mind!
Why search for the Red Water pearl?
Stop composing those Cold Mountain gathas ! [4]
With whom can I discuss this philosophy?
I'll be silent, since so few can follow my tune.
DON'T ASK
(Eleventh in the series)Don't ask if I've ceased wanting anything—
we all know the simile of the drifting clouds. [5]
Excess wouldn't fit the precepts:
take what comes and you're never in doubt.
How happy, that worthy Yen! [6]
Even the sage Confucius was poor.
Once you've passed the age of understanding [7]
stop trying to change destiny's course.
EARLY PLUM BLOSSOMS
(5-character regulated verse, CTS 843)Ten thousand trees frozen, just about to crack,
this lone tree only, warm, reviving:
in the village nearby, deep in snow,
last night one branch came into bloom. [8]
Breezes waft the hidden fragrance,
birds come seeking the white beauty of blossoms.
Next year again, if it's true to season,
first to shed brightness over the spring terrace!
START OF AUTUMN:
HEARING A CICADA WHILE SICK IN BED
(5-character regulated verse, CTS 843)On my pillow bit by bit waking,
suddenly I hear a cicada cry—
at that moment I know I've not died,
though past days are like a former existence.
I want to go to the window, listen closer,
but even with a cane I can't manage.
Before long like you I'll shed my shell
and drink again the clear brightness of the dew. [9]
SPEAKING MY MIND
(7-character regulated verse, CTS 846)Poetry sickness makes the old-age sickness
even worse;
with the best of physicians I'd still pay out
huge sums in vain.
In life's remnant, why must I give it up for nothing?
Before I die, what harm if I amuse myself
writing poems?
Flowing waters never return—save your sighs;
white clouds leave no trail—don't try to chase them!
An idle man knows where to while away idleness:
yellow leaves, fresh breeze, a grove full of cicadas.
DELIGHTED THAT THE MONK CH'IEN-CHOU HAS COME A LONG WAY TO VISIT ME
(5-character regulated verse, CTS 839)He and I both nearing seventy,
what does it mean to meet like this?
The age of a sage king has yet to arrive,
but partings and rebellions—we have plenty of that!
Though the gate to detachment is hard to attain,
days of leisure pass quickly.
For the rest of our lives, aside from writing letters,
we'll just be at the beck of the poetry devil. [10]
THE OLD FARMER
(5-character regulated verse, CTS 847)Spring winds buffet his straw cape,
twilight rain wets his bamboo hat,
husband and wife working the land together,
young ones nearby, crying with hunger.
Their fields are steep and rocky,
taxes heavy, payments due—
granary officials are so many rats and sparrows,
just waiting for new levies to come in!
SONG OF THE INSOLENT AIR
(7-character yueh-fu style, CTS 847.
A satire on the rich young men of the capital area.)Jade whips, gold stirrups, hooves of a thoroughbred;
surly glances, breath coming out like rainbows. [11]
In the Five Towns spring is warm, fragrant grasses thriving; [12]
pipes, songs everywhere, blossoms gone to mud.
The sun sets, the moon rises—now for the cockfights—
once drunk, who cares if Heaven is high or low?
Lao-tzu's Way and Power—something to spit on;
Confucius's rites and music—fit for servants and menials!
SONG OF THE OLD SWORD
(7-character old style, CTS 847)Ancient men with their hands forged this
wondrous object,
a hundred firings, a hundred baths in water,
till it was finished.
Men of today need not labor to hone and polish—
tip and blade have never lost their starry markings.
With each thrust, each flourish, we hear its clanging cry;
the old dragon's gleam outshines the autumn lamps.
When will you meet with a master of heroic mold
who can wield you to bring peace to the realm?
SONG OF THE SPRING WIND
(5-character chueh-chu , CTS 847)What does the spring wind have in mind,
coming day and night to these groves and gardens?
It never asks who owns the peach and damson trees
but blows away their crimson without a word.
ADMONISHING A YOUNGER TEACHER
(7-character chueh-chu , CTS 847)You decline to write poetry, won't listen to sutras,
too lazy to visit the other peaks of Ch'an—
when at last your head is white and they question you,
what stories will you have to tell your students?
WRITTEN ON A SUMMER DAY IN THE CITY
(7-character chueh-chu , CTS 847.
The first of two poems with this title.)Monk neighbors on three sides, a wall on the fourth,
no passage for the wind to blow me a puff of cool—
if some year I left here, where would I go?
To a cell of stone among blue cliffs and red sunset skies.
Notes
1. The years 860–873.
2. Government officials had to report for duty very early in the morning.
3. Metaphorical reference to the violent political upheavals of the time.
4. According to Chuang-tzu, sec. 12, in ancient times the Yellow Emperor lost his Dark Pearl while wandering in the region of Red Water. The following line is probably a reference to the kind of gathas, or Buddhist hymns, written by the poet Han-shan, the Master of Cold Mountain.
5. In Analects VII, 16, Confucius declared that wealth and rank gained through unjust means were no more to him than drifting clouds.
6. Yen Hui, Confucius's favorite disciple, who knew how to be content even in poverty.
7. In Analects II, 4, Confucius said that at the age of fifty he “understood the Mandate of Heaven.”
8. It is said that Ch'i-chi's fourth line originally read “last night several branches came into bloom.”When he showed the poem to his friend, the poet-official Cheng Ku, the latter remarked that if several branches were already in bloom, the blossoms were not really “early.” He therefore suggested that the character for “several” be changed to “one.” People of the time so admired this emendation that Cheng Ku became known as the “One Character Teacher.”
9. According to Chinese belief the cicada subsists entirely on dew and hence epitomizes the life of purity.
10. The T'ang poet Po Chu-i (772–846), a dedicated Buddhist, jokingly described his addiction to poetry writing as a form of possession by what he dubbed the “poetry devil.”
11. Indicative of the high-spirited nature of the young men.
12. The Five Towns were towns established in Han times at the site of imperial tombs in the suburbs of Ch'ang-an; they came to symbolize the lifestyle of the wealthy.
