[updated November 2022]
Sixth Lunar Month, Fourteenth Day, Stay Overnight at the Donglin Temple
六 月 十 四 日 宿 东 林 寺
看 尽 江 湖 千 万 峰
不 嫌 云 梦 芥 吾 胸。
吸 招 西 塞 山 前 月
来 听 东 林 寺 里 钟。
远 客 岂 知 今 再 到？
老 僧 犹 记 昔 相 逢。
虚 窗 熟 睡 谁 惊 觉
野碓无人夜自
Liu Yue Shi Si Ri Su Dong Lin Si
Kan jin jiang hu qian wan feng
Bu xian yun meng jie wu xiong.
Xi zhao xi sai shan qian yue
Lai ting dong lin si li zhong.
Yuan ke qi zhi jin zai dao?
Lao seng you ji xi xiang feng.
Xu chuang shou shui shei jing jue
Ye dui wu ren ye zi chun.
Sixth Lunar Month, Fourteenth Day, Stay Overnight at the Donglin Temple
Have seen most of the country’s rivers and lakes, as well as thousands of mountain peaks
Do not mind the Yumeng wetland grasses touching my chest.
Attracted to the drama of Mt. Xisai in front of the moon
Arrived to hear the inside bells of Donglin Temple.
Did not this secluded visitor realize he would arrive today?
The old Buddhist monks recall when we met each other in the past.
Slept soundly with open windows, no risk of being awoken
Open country grain mill, even in the evening they pound rice without concerns.
Notes:
[Lu Yu traveled back to the capital Chang’an and passed by the Donglin Temple just he did eight years previously going the other direction.]
Donglin Temple: The “Eastern Forest” temple is located at the base of Mt. Lu in the province Jiangxi. A Buddhist monastery associated with the Pure Land sect.
Mt. Xisai: Gateway to the middle and lower sections of the Changjiang (Yangzi River). As a strategic defensive position, a site of many battles, as well as a scenic source of many ancient poems.