[updated September 2022]
Praise For Humble Scholars: Seven Poems: No. 1
咏 贫 士：七 首
(1)
万 旌 各 有 托
孤 云 独 无 依。
暧 暧 空 中 灭
何 时 见 晖。
朝 霞 开 宿 雾
众 鸟 相 与 飞。
迟 迟 出 林 翮
未 夕 复 来 归。
量 力 守 故 辙
岂 不 寒 与 饥？
知 音 苟 不 存
已 矣 何 所 悲。
Yong Pin Shi: Qi Shou
(1)
Wan jing ge you tuo
Gu yun du wu yi.
Ai ai kong zhong mie
He shi jian hui .
Zhao xia kai su wu
Zhong niao xiang yu fei.
Chi chi chu lin he
Wei xi fu lai gui.
Liang li shou gu zhe
Qi bu han yu ji ?
Zhi yin gou bu cun
Yi yi he suo bei.
Praise For Humble Scholars: Seven Poems: No. 1
(1)
Ten thousand kinds of things all have something serving as a support
Single solitary cloud without compliance.
When light gets very dim in the sky, it disappears
What time can one see the remaining sunlight.
Rosy clouds at dawn, long standing fog breaks up
Many birds fly together in different flocks?
One bird very slow to leave the forest
Not yet sunset, again returns back home.
Estimating my own ability, best to remain on roads that are tried and true
Can I ever avoid times of cold and hunger?
For now, no one around understands me
Do not have to dwell in a place of sorrows.
Notes:
Ten thousand things: As a metaphor, it refers to all of things, people and events that can be perceived and conceived of. This term reminds me of line #4 of Laozi‘s Dao De Jing.
All have something serving as support: These words appear to be closely related to the Doctrine of Emptiness of the Buddha.
Rosy clouds at dawn: For me, this Chinese word, xia (霞), parallels closely the Dharmakaya Light of Buddhism.