Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Poem: "Gatha" 偈 by Sikong Tu

"Gatha" 偈 means Buddhist devotional verse, though as my advisor comments this one by Sikong Tu 司空图 (837-908) is not very Buddhist (my advisor's translation):
Photo via John Pappas


人若憎时我亦憎,
逃名最要是无能。
 后生乞汝残风月,
自作深林不语僧。

 If others hate the times
      then I too hate them:
To flee from fame the vital thing
      is to have no talent.
Later generations! I beg you,
      to lay waste to your sensual urges,
And turn yourselves into silent monks,
      who dwell in the deep woods.
. Funny it seems so simple, yet neither of us are sure how the lines all go together.

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