[updated October 2022]
Tongde Temple After the Rain, Send This to Government Official Yuan and Accomplished Scholar Li
同 德 寺 雨 后 寄 元 侍 御 李 博 士
川 上 风 雨 来
须 臾 满 城 阙。
苕 峣 青 莲 界
萧 条 孤 兴 发。
前 山 遽 已 净
阴 霭 夜 来 歇。 乔 木 生 夏 凉
流 云 吐 华 月。
严 城 自 有 限
一 水 非 难 越。
相 望 曙 河 远
高 斋 坐 超 忽。
Tong De Si Yu Hou Ji Yuan Shi Yu Li Bo Shi
Chuan shang feng yu lai
Xu yu man cheng que.
Tiao yao qing lian jie
Xiao tiao gu xing fa.
Qian shan ju yi jing
Yin ai ye lai xie. Qiao mu sheng xia liang
Liu yun tu hua yue.
Yan cheng zi you xian
Yi shui fei nan yue.
Xiang wang shu he yuan
Gao zhai zuo chao hu.
Tongde Temple After the Rain, Send This to Government Official Yuan and Accomplished Scholar Li
Wind and rain arrives upon the river
In a short time all of the buildings of the city will be covered.
Tall mountains have high level Buddhist practitioners
Desolated and bleak, I begin to write to open up my solitude.
Suddenly the mountain foothills already clean
Overcast and evening mists have disappeared. Tall trees leaf out to make summers cool
Drifting clouds, radiant moon poured out.
So late the city gates have been closed
One river not difficult to cross over.
At daybreak, far away the city’s river, we can gaze into the distance to see each other
From this elevated spot, sit here in clarity to go beyond previous insights.
Notes:
Tongde Temple: It is also known as The Temple of the Six Banyan Trees.
An ancient Buddhist temple built in 537 AD in the city of Guangzhou,
during the Liang Dynasty (502-587 AD).