For Master Tao Guang
- Poetry of Bai Juyi

《寄韬光禅师》
For Master Tao Guang by Bai Juyi
中文原文( Chinese )

一山门作两山门，两寺原从一寺分。

东涧水流西涧水，南山云起北山云。

前台花发后台见，上界钟声下界闻。

遥想吾师行道处，天香桂子落纷纷。

English Translation

One mountain pass becomes two.

Two temples were formerly one.

East stream flows into west stream.

South mountain's clouds merge with north's.


Forecourt blossoms can be seen from the rear.

Heaven's bell rings out and those below hear.

I recall how my master would walk upon the Way.

Celestial fragrance of sages falls all around.

Bai sent his collected works into three Buddhist temples for safekeeping and would not be above flattering a temple to ensure literary immortality. Maybe that is what this is. He did study Buddhism with monks at least three times in his life. But I don't think Tao Guang was one of his teachers. If you think about Buddhism and its history in China, the poem resonates more and more as you re-read it. Maybe that is what this poem is for.

- Last updated: 2025-02-22 17:22:15
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Why Chinese poems is so special?
The most distinctive features of Chinese poetry are: concision- many poems are only four lines, and few are much longer than eight; ambiguity- number, tense and parts of speech are often undetermined, creating particularly rich interpretative possibilities; and structure- most poems follow quite strict formal patterns which have beauty in themselves as well as highlighting meaningful contrasts.
How to read a Chinese poem?
Like an English poem, but more so. Everything is there for a reason, so try to find that reason. Think about all the possible connotations, and be aware of the different possibilities of number and tense. Look for contrasts: within lines, between the lines of each couplet and between successive couplets. Above all, don't worry about what the poet meant- find your meaning.

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