Su Dongpo: Travel to Xiangji Temple

 

Travel to the Xiangji Temple in Bo Luo

 

游 博 罗 香 积 寺
二 年 流 落 蛙 鱼 乡
朝 来 喜 见 麦 叶 茫。
东 风 摇 波 舞 净 绿
初 日 泫 霜 酣 娇 黄。
汪 汪 春 泥 已 没 膝
剡 剡 秋 谷 初 分 秧。
谁 言 万 里 出 无 友
见 此 二 美 喜 欲 狂。
三 山 屏 拥 僧 舍 小
一 溪 雷 转 松 阴 凉.
要 令 水 力 供 臼 磨
与 相 地 脉 增 堤 防。
霏 霏 落 雪 看 收 面
隐 隐 叠 鼓 闻 舂 糠。
散 流 一 啜 云 子 白
炊 裂 十 字 琼 肌 香。
岂 惟 牢 凡 荐 古 味
要 使 真 一 流 天 浆。
诗 成 捧 腹 便 绝 倒
书 生 说 食 真 膏 肓。

 

You Bo Luo Xiang Ji Si

Er nian liu luo wa yu xiang
Zhao lai xi jian mai ye mang.
Dong feng yao bo wu jing lu
Chu ri xuan shuang han jiao huang.

Wang wang chun ni yi mei xi
Yan yan qiu gu chu fen yang.
Shei yan wan li chu wu you
Jian ci er mei xi yu kuang.

San shan ping yong seng she xiao
Yi xi lei zhuan song yin liang.
Yao ling shui li gong jiu mo
Yu xiang di mai zeng di fang.

Fei fei luo xue kan shou mian
Yin yin die gu wen chong kang.
San liu yi chuo yun zi bai
Chui lie shi zi qiong ji xiang.

Qi wei lao fan jian gu wei
Yao shi zhen yi liu tian jiang.
Shi cheng peng fu bian jue dao
Shu sheng shuo shi zhen gao huang.

 

Travel to the Xiangji Temple in Bo Luo

Two years a throwaway in this region of frogs and fish
Dawn arrives, happy to see the grain’s leaves and tassels.
East wind creates waves, dancing clean and green
At first light, frost and dewdrops turn sprouts yellow.

Vast and immense spring mudflats stop covering knees
Autumn valley begins to separate grain from chaff.
Who said I would go without friends in this remote place
After seeing the beautiful rice and water, crazy happy.

Three large mountains surround the tiny monks’ houses
One small noisy stream flows cool out of the pine trees.
Need to harness this water power to turn our millstones
An earth project could raise the embankments for protection.

The rice flour would fall thick and fast like powered snow
Pounding of the chaff would sound like drums.
Rice porridge, one sip of a young white cloud
The smell of freshly baked, smooth hot-cross buns.

This not the only way to taste the ordinary traditional foods
The Zhenyi wine would flow like liquid from Heaven.
After the poem, roar with laughter till it hurts
Highly educated person like me will think I am very sick.

 

Notes:

Xiangji Temple:  Built around 681 AD in the ancient capital city of Chang’an (Xi’an). Considered the cradle of Pure Land Buddhism.

Zhenyi wine: Wine made famous by Su Dongpo. Noted for having the color of jade, and using white flour and glutinous rice, for clarity, in it’s making.