...the wind and the dust...

[dedletrbox.livejournal.com]

Saying Goodbye to a Singing-Girl Who Has Decided to Become a Nun
(Mo Shihtung)

You have called at the Gate of the True Vehicle,
your worldly self is no more.
You have said farewell forever
to the golden chambers,
the wind and the dust.

Lightly you wield the yak-tail whisk,
your singing fan lies on the floor.
You learn to position your meditation cushion
and laugh at the dancer's mat.
No more resentment when rouge fades
like red flowers.
No longer will the feathered hair appear in your mirror.
Mist light water--quiet Zen mind.
I know a new springtime
will bloom
in the Realm of Emptiness.


[When I first saw this title, I thought is was a joke! Does anyone remember a poem about the titles of chinese poems? I think it may have been written by Billy Collins]

Comments

[elyrie.livejournal.com]

hahaha. but i assure you, in mandarin chinese, it is much more poetic and infused with meaning (and shorter too!)

[dedletrbox.livejournal.com]

oh, I think it's lovely anyway, despite the title...I'm just glad it sounded odd enough for me to search it out

[moireach.livejournal.com]

Yep, it's Billy Collins! Reading An Anthology Of Chinese Poems Of The Sung Dynasty, I Pause To Admire The Length And Clarity Of Their Titles (http://plagiarist.com/poetry/813/).