Han shan was a hermit poet who probably lived sometime during the ninth and tenth centuries. "Han shan" means cold mountain in Chinese, which is the name of the mountain where he resided. His poems show a strong Taoist and Buddhist influence, and he may have been a monk at some point. His poems were only collected after his death by someone who went looking for him and found his poems on trees, rocks, and walls of a nearby temple and nearby villages.
Today, according to one account, Han shan is ignored by scholars and critics, but his poems are found in very many temples and shrines throughout China.
People ask the way to Cold Mountain
but roads don't reach Cold Mountain
in summer the ice doesn't melt
and the morning fog is too dense
how did someone like me arrive
our minds are not the same
if they were the same
you would be here
-- Cold Mountain --
from The Collected Songs of Cold Mountain
trans. Red Pine
At first I thought the difficulty was purely physical. Cold Mountain is a difficult place to reach, according, at least, to the first four lines. However, the last four lines suggest that the real difficulty may not be physical but psychological or even spiritual. That brings me to ask if "Cold Mountain" is a place or a state of mind.
Showing posts with label COLD MOUNTAIN. Show all posts
Showing posts with label COLD MOUNTAIN. Show all posts
Monday, August 18, 2014
Monday, November 11, 2013
Han Shan or Cold Mountain: life is short
Two poems by Han Shan on the transience of youth for Spring and Summer swiftly lead to Fall and Winter:
7.
A moth-browed girl in town
how her pendants chime
teasing a parrot before the flowers
playing a lute beneath the moon
her singing echoes for months
thousands watch her briefest dance
but surely this won't last
the hibiscus can't bear cold
8.
A fine young man on horseback
waves his whip at the willows
he can't imagine death
he builds no boat or ladder
the seasonal flowers are lovely
until the day they wither and fade
rock sugar and clarified butter
mean nothing when you're dead
The Collected Songs of Cold Mountain
Copper Canyon Press
trans. by Red Pine
The following notes are abstracted from the collection of poems
7. -the young woman is probably a member of a traveling troupe of entertainers
-the hibiscus is called "the cold-fearing flower" and dies at the first sign of fall
-fall, of course, signifies the approach of winter, the season of death (my comment)
8. -boat or ladder: Buddhists use the symbol of a boat for their spiritual discipline
-ladder refers to the search of wandering Taoists to reach inaccessible places when looking for plants to concoct their elixirs.
-"Rock sugar and clarified butter (ghee) represent the taste of liberation, refined of all impurities."
-In other words, after death it's too late to strive for enlightenment (my comment).
I think Shakespeare would agree:
"Golden lads and girls all must,
As chimney-sweepers, all come to dust."
Cymbeline, Act IV, Scene II
7.
A moth-browed girl in town
how her pendants chime
teasing a parrot before the flowers
playing a lute beneath the moon
her singing echoes for months
thousands watch her briefest dance
but surely this won't last
the hibiscus can't bear cold
8.
A fine young man on horseback
waves his whip at the willows
he can't imagine death
he builds no boat or ladder
the seasonal flowers are lovely
until the day they wither and fade
rock sugar and clarified butter
mean nothing when you're dead
The Collected Songs of Cold Mountain
Copper Canyon Press
trans. by Red Pine
The following notes are abstracted from the collection of poems
7. -the young woman is probably a member of a traveling troupe of entertainers
-the hibiscus is called "the cold-fearing flower" and dies at the first sign of fall
-fall, of course, signifies the approach of winter, the season of death (my comment)
8. -boat or ladder: Buddhists use the symbol of a boat for their spiritual discipline
-ladder refers to the search of wandering Taoists to reach inaccessible places when looking for plants to concoct their elixirs.
-"Rock sugar and clarified butter (ghee) represent the taste of liberation, refined of all impurities."
-In other words, after death it's too late to strive for enlightenment (my comment).
I think Shakespeare would agree:
"Golden lads and girls all must,
As chimney-sweepers, all come to dust."
Cymbeline, Act IV, Scene II
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Han Shan: a poem
Han Shan, which, I"m told, means Cold Mountain, was one of the numerous hermit/monk/poets who flourished during the 7th, 8th, and 9th centuries. As far as I can tell, his real name is unknown for he took the name of the mountain, Cold Mountain, on which was located the cave he lived in. According to tradition, most of his poems were found on the walls of his cave, nearby trees, and rock faces after his death.
This is one of them:
No. 4
Looking for a refuge
Cold Mountain will keep you safe
a faint wind stirs dark pines
come closer the sound gets better
below them sits a gray-haired man
chanting Taoist texts
ten years unable to return
he forgot the way he came
-- Han Shan/Cold Mountain --
from The Collected Songs of Cold Mountain
translated by Red Pine
The note to this poem: "The recitation of sacred writings, such as Lao-Tzu's Taoteching, and the chanting of incantations are among the techniques used by Taoists in their quest to transcend the mortal state."
Perhaps that is why he forgot the way he came.
I think it is written in The New Testament somewhere that a man asked Christ what should he do to be saved. Christ said he should give up everything, including his family and possessions, and follow him. IN the past, religious traditions in various cultures seemed to agree that to achieve enlightenment or salvation, one must put aside the things of this world. I wonder if that belief is still held today.
This is one of them:
No. 4
Looking for a refuge
Cold Mountain will keep you safe
a faint wind stirs dark pines
come closer the sound gets better
below them sits a gray-haired man
chanting Taoist texts
ten years unable to return
he forgot the way he came
-- Han Shan/Cold Mountain --
from The Collected Songs of Cold Mountain
translated by Red Pine
The note to this poem: "The recitation of sacred writings, such as Lao-Tzu's Taoteching, and the chanting of incantations are among the techniques used by Taoists in their quest to transcend the mortal state."
Perhaps that is why he forgot the way he came.
I think it is written in The New Testament somewhere that a man asked Christ what should he do to be saved. Christ said he should give up everything, including his family and possessions, and follow him. IN the past, religious traditions in various cultures seemed to agree that to achieve enlightenment or salvation, one must put aside the things of this world. I wonder if that belief is still held today.
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Han-shan: a poem
Han-shan is a classic example of China's hermit Zen/Tao poets. His poetry carries elements of both Zen Or Chan, as it was called in China, and Taoism. Just who he was is not known. His adopted name, Han-shan, means Cold Mountain, which is where the cave in which he lived was located.
His poetry was discovered, according to tradition, after he died, written on the walls of his cave and the trees, rocks, and walls in the area and near several villages. His poems, some 300 of them have been preserved, are generally short and simple. Perhaps that is why I like them. The most common themes are nature and human behavior, frequently remonstrances against pretension and greed and pleas to turn to the good or virtuous life.
#3
The Cold Mountain Road is strange
no tracks of cart or horse
hard to recall which merging stream
or tell which piled-up ridge
a myriad plants weep with dew
the pines all sigh the same
here where the trail disappears
form asks shadow where to
-- Han-shan --
from The Collected Songs of Cold Mountain
trans. Red Pine
Translator's note: "The last line is also indebted to T'ao Yuan-ming's Form, Shadow, and Spirit,
in which Form and Shadow turn to Spirit for a solution to their transient existence.
In a note, Red Pine describes his visit to Han-shan's cave on Cold Mountain years ago, and it doesn't seem to be any easier to find or get to today than it was in the 8th and 9th centuries when Han-shan lived there.
The last line puzzles me for it seems almost as though a line is missing or perhaps an infinitive.
"form asks shadow where to _____"
Han-shan has a number of poems in which he describes the difficulties of reaching his shallow cave on Cold Mountain. Perhaps he's trying to discourage people from visiting him. But, his poetry really wasn't widely known until after his death, so perhaps that may be only a part of the reason. Whatever the reason, I get a clear sense of the rugged wilderness in which he lived and how easily I could get lost.
His poetry was discovered, according to tradition, after he died, written on the walls of his cave and the trees, rocks, and walls in the area and near several villages. His poems, some 300 of them have been preserved, are generally short and simple. Perhaps that is why I like them. The most common themes are nature and human behavior, frequently remonstrances against pretension and greed and pleas to turn to the good or virtuous life.
#3
The Cold Mountain Road is strange
no tracks of cart or horse
hard to recall which merging stream
or tell which piled-up ridge
a myriad plants weep with dew
the pines all sigh the same
here where the trail disappears
form asks shadow where to
-- Han-shan --
from The Collected Songs of Cold Mountain
trans. Red Pine
Translator's note: "The last line is also indebted to T'ao Yuan-ming's Form, Shadow, and Spirit,
in which Form and Shadow turn to Spirit for a solution to their transient existence.
In a note, Red Pine describes his visit to Han-shan's cave on Cold Mountain years ago, and it doesn't seem to be any easier to find or get to today than it was in the 8th and 9th centuries when Han-shan lived there.
The last line puzzles me for it seems almost as though a line is missing or perhaps an infinitive.
"form asks shadow where to _____"
Han-shan has a number of poems in which he describes the difficulties of reaching his shallow cave on Cold Mountain. Perhaps he's trying to discourage people from visiting him. But, his poetry really wasn't widely known until after his death, so perhaps that may be only a part of the reason. Whatever the reason, I get a clear sense of the rugged wilderness in which he lived and how easily I could get lost.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Han-shan or Cold Mountain
Han-shan was a hermit poet who lived sometime during the late 8th century and early 9th century. No one is certain about his dates, just as no one knows his true name. He lived in a shallow cave on Cold Cliff and called himself after the mountain. According to the Wikipedia entry, after his death, "Lu Ch'iu-Yin, governor of T'ai Prefecture" gave an order to collect Han-shan's "poems written on bamboo, wood, stones, and cliffs — and also to collect those written on the walls of peoples' houses."
The collection I have of his poetry, The Collected Songs of Cold Mountain, is a bilingual edition and includes all of his surviving poetry, 307 poems to be exact. The poems are translated by Red Pine and are published by Copper Canyon Press.
His poems are short, for the most part, and many are directed to the reader. It gives me the feeling that Han-shan himself is speaking directly to me. It's almost a poetic FAQ for many of the poems are answers to questions people might ask him--Why are you a hermit? Why are you living in this cave? What is it like to live alone up here? Other poems are comments on social, political, and religious issues. I find it a fascinating glimpse into the mind of someone who lived over a thousand years ago and equally fascinating to discover that many of the issues he covers are still with us today.
This is the first poem in the collection:
Towering cliffs were the home I chose
bird trails beyond human tracks
what does my yard contain
white clouds clinging to dark rocks
every year I've lived here
I've seen the seasons change
all you owners of tripods and bells
what good are empty names
Han-shan seems unimpressed by conspicuous consumption and self-aggrandizement. I wonder if living where he does has contributed to his attitude. I've also read that his poems suggest a melding of Buddhist and Taoist beliefs. That may also have something to do with his disdain.
Note to the poem: "Tripods and bells were cast at great expense for use at sacrificial ceremonies, and the names of ancestors or the men who commissioned them were often carved on their surfaces. Empty names indeed."
The collection I have of his poetry, The Collected Songs of Cold Mountain, is a bilingual edition and includes all of his surviving poetry, 307 poems to be exact. The poems are translated by Red Pine and are published by Copper Canyon Press.
His poems are short, for the most part, and many are directed to the reader. It gives me the feeling that Han-shan himself is speaking directly to me. It's almost a poetic FAQ for many of the poems are answers to questions people might ask him--Why are you a hermit? Why are you living in this cave? What is it like to live alone up here? Other poems are comments on social, political, and religious issues. I find it a fascinating glimpse into the mind of someone who lived over a thousand years ago and equally fascinating to discover that many of the issues he covers are still with us today.
This is the first poem in the collection:
Towering cliffs were the home I chose
bird trails beyond human tracks
what does my yard contain
white clouds clinging to dark rocks
every year I've lived here
I've seen the seasons change
all you owners of tripods and bells
what good are empty names
Han-shan seems unimpressed by conspicuous consumption and self-aggrandizement. I wonder if living where he does has contributed to his attitude. I've also read that his poems suggest a melding of Buddhist and Taoist beliefs. That may also have something to do with his disdain.
Note to the poem: "Tripods and bells were cast at great expense for use at sacrificial ceremonies, and the names of ancestors or the men who commissioned them were often carved on their surfaces. Empty names indeed."
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