Chinese Poems

过香积寺 - 王维

不知香积寺， 数里入云峰。

古木无人径， 深山何处钟。

泉声咽危石， 日色冷青松。

薄暮空潭曲， 安禅制毒龙。

Going Right Past the Temple of Accumulated Fragrance

Wang Wei

I can’t find the temple.

Several miles in, clouds and cliffs,

Ancient trees, no one on the trail.

Deep in the mountains  — is that a bell?

Just the sound of a creek, rushing

Down steep rocks.  Sunlight

Through cold pines, shades of dusk

At forgotten pond’s edge:

Meditation subdues the poisonous dragon.

寻隐者不遇 - 贾岛

松下问童子，言师采药去。

只在此山中，云深不知处。

Seeking the Hermit and Not Finding Him

Jia Dao

Under the pine, I ask the acolyte:

“Master’s gone for herbs, over there …”

A hidden spot, deep up in the hills,

Clouds are thick, no idea where.

访戴天山道士不遇 - 李白

犬吠水声中， 桃花带露浓。
树深时见鹿， 溪午不闻钟。
野竹分青霭， 飞泉挂碧峰。
无人知所去， 愁倚两三松。

Going to Visit Monk Dai but Not Finding Him

Li Bai

Dog bark lost in rushing water,

Peach blossoms heavy with dew.

I glimpse a deer through thick brush,

By a stream, listen for the noon bell:

Not a sound.

Wild bamboo pokes through blue mists.

Soaring springs cascade down green cliffs.

No one knows where he’s gone …

What to do?  Rest against some pines.