This is my first ever commissioned snuff bottle. Painted by Wang Tiemin, a young artist who has spent the past few years perfecting calligraphy..
This first poem I picked is by T'ang Dynasty poet, Chang Feng called, "Written on My Wang River Retreat
after a Steady Rain"
Late summer on the river the sun and wind are
mild
the little birds below the eaves are grown
sun drenched butterflies
dance among the flowers
newly spun spider webs brighten every
room
threadbare curtains invite the moon's reflection
a pillow made of
clay echoes with the current
my long graying temples recall the frost and
snow
let me pass this life chopping wood and fishing
The retreat Wang
Wei ( 701-761 ) bought on the Wang River was sixty kilometers southeast of
Chang-an and once belonged to the poet Sung Chihwen. Although Wang rose to the
post of deputy prime minister, he was a lifelong Buddhist and a vegetarian, and
toward the end of his life he spent more time meditating at his retreat and
hiking around the mountains than working in the capital. Hibiscus glowers only
last a day, or two at most, and mallow leaves a best picked after the dew dries.
Hence, Wang Wei is to hungry to wait. In Chuangtzu: 27 the arrogant Yang tzu Yu
returns to his inn after receiving instruction from the Lao Tzu. But where he
was once waited on hand and foot, he now has to fight for a place for his mat.
"Seats" here also refer to positions of authority, concerning which poet no
longer has any interest. In Liehtzu: 2.11 the author recounts ho seagulls flock
around a man, until he conceives of a plan to catch them.
This second
poem picked is by T'ang Dynasty poet, Ch'eng Hao called "Summer
Day"
When I'm at peace I let everything go
I wake by the east
window long after sunrise
viewed without passion everything is
fine
seasonal glories hold true for man
the Tao fills the world the formed
and the formless
out thoughts are in the ever changing wind and clouds
not
troubled by wealth content in poverty
the person who reaches this is truly
noble
Ch'eng Hao ( 1032-1085 ) taught thousands of students at his home
in Loyang and served briefly in the nearby capital of Kaifeng. But due to his
opposition to the policies of Wang An-shih, he was banished to South China and
died before he could return. Still, with his younger brother, Ch'eng Yi, he was
among the leading lights of neo Confucianism. This poem reflects his philosophy
whereby all things are seen as part of the Tao and also as part of the mind.
Thus, man shares the same nature as Heaven and Earth and all creation. The
harmony of this nature is easily upset by desire and ignorance, but it can be
restored through the cultivation of such virtues as kindness and equanimity. The
last two lines paraphrase Mencius: 3b/2.3.
