5 Enigmatic Ancient Taoist Poems, Ethereal and Profound 5首玄妙的道家古诗词，仙气飘飘，让人回味无穷

 

**Preamble**
**前言**

Taoism is a school of thought even more deeply intertwined with the Chinese ethos than Buddhism.
道教是比佛教更贴合中国国情的一个教派。

Its existence combines the innate Chinese patriotism, benevolence (Ren), and chivalry (Xia). Beyond religious elements, it embodies the demeanor of a reclusive master or a great knight-errant.
它的存在结合了中国人骨子里的爱国，仁义和侠义，除了宗教因素，更给人一种隐士大侠的风范。

With a zither and a sword, the zither cultivates the heart, while the sword sweeps away injustices. Engaging with the world for spiritual practice and undertaking due responsibilities, it represents a positive, hopeful existence.
一琴一剑，琴修心，剑荡不平之事，入世修行，担当应担之责，是积极的，给人希望的一种存在。

However, in terms of doctrines and classical texts, its widespread circulation is not as extensive as Buddhism's. As an indigenous religion, it carries China's understanding of humanity, the world, and even the natural universe accumulated over millennia. Its teachings are complex yet vast, simple yet profound.
但从教义及典籍而言，流传广泛程度皆不如佛教。作为一个本地宗教，它承载着的是中国几千年来对世人，对世界，乃在对自然宇宙的理解，它的教义复杂而博广，单纯又朴素。

Today, let us read the poetry of Taoist Masters together to appreciate their Daoist realm and literary talent.
今日，便一起阅读道教真人的诗词，领略真人们的道境与才情。

**Appreciation of Masterpieces by 5 Taoist Masters**
5位道教宗师的佳作赏析

**01**
**《Lying Amidst the Clouds》**
**《卧云》**

Song Dynasty · By Bai Yuchan
宋·白玉蟾

A room full of celestial scent, an immortal's abode,
满室天香仙子家，
A lute, a sword, and a cup of tea.
一琴一剑一杯茶。
His feather robe often tinged with mist and haze's hue,
羽衣常带烟霞色，
Unattracted by worldly peach and plum blossoms' view.
不惹人间桃李花。

*Many versions alter the first line to "White clouds, yellow cranes, a Taoist's home," but I still prefer the original. While "white clouds and yellow cranes" are iconic imagery of transcendent grace, they can feel overlapping in意境 (artistic conception). The four ancient elegant pursuits were: burning incense, brewing tea, flower arranging, and hanging scrolls. Although "White clouds, yellow cranes, a Taoist's home" might seem more ethereal, it loses the sense of spatial dimension from the poem's overall perspective. The incense-filled room, a lute, a sword, and a cup of tea outline a space that is cultured yet distinctly Taoist. Cultivating stillness often amidst green mountains, with a clear heart-mind reflected by the glow of dawn and dusk, even the feather robe seems imbued with the colors of mist and light. Worldly peach and plum blossoms are gorgeous, beautiful indeed, but not as weightless as the hues of mist and haze. Master Bai uses mist-haze versus peach-plum colors to metaphorically express his state of mind: after quiet cultivation within the vastness of nature, having witnessed the breadth of heaven and earth, one is no longer stained by worldly fame and gain.*
好多地方关于第一句都改成“白云黄鹤道人家”，可我还是觉得原句好。白云黄鹤意象就很仙风道骨，却意境重合。古人四大雅事：焚香、煮茶、插花、挂画。白云黄鹤道人家虽则更显仙气，但从诗词整体而言，失去了空间感。点着薰香的卧室，内外通明，一张琴，一把剑，一杯茶，勾勒出一个文气而不失道家特色的空间。因常在青山之中静修，心境澄澈，霞光映照，羽衣之上也好像沾染了烟霞之色，人间桃李花色浓艳，美则美矣，不如烟霞之色轻盈。白真人借烟霞与桃李颜色，比喻自己的心境，在天地自然中静修后，见识过天地之辽阔，不会再沾染世俗名利。

**02**
**《No Worldly Thoughts · Lyric on Pear Blossoms of Lingxu Palace》**
**《无俗念·灵虚宫梨花词》**

Song Dynasty · By Qiu Chuji
宋·丘处机

Spring outings, vast and wide,
春游浩荡，
'Tis each year at Cold Food Day,
是年年寒食，
The season of pear blossoms white.
梨花时节。
White brocade seamless, sweet scent radiant,
白锦无纹香烂漫，
Jade trees, jade buds, heaping snow bright.
玉树琼苞堆雪。
The quiet night deep and profound,
静夜沉沉，
Floating light, misty and hazy,
浮光霭霭，
Steeps in the chilly, dissolving moonlight.
冷浸溶溶月。
Is this mortal world or heaven above?
人间天上，
Shining thorough, splendid silver light.
烂银霞照通彻。

Just like the Real Person of Gushe,
浑似姑射真人，
With heaven-sent grace and spirit,
天姿灵秀，
Her manner relaxed, lofty and pure.
意气舒高洁。
Who believes these myriad stamens, uneven,
万蕊参差谁信道，
Stand not ranked with flowers demure?
不与群芳同列。
Vast spirit, clear and outstanding,
浩气清英，
Immortal substance, truly superb,
仙材卓荦，
Hard for the earthly to discern for sure.
下土难分别。
Returning to the Jasper Terrace,
瑶台归去，
Only in the blessed cave heaven, see this beauty so pristine and obscure.
洞天方看清绝。

*This is arguably the finest lyric poem on pear blossoms, unparalleled,堪称 (can be called) the best among its kind. Around the Cold Food Festival is when pear blossoms bloom, white as snow heaped upon jade branches. Under the moonlight, ethereal and朦胧 (hazy, misty), the flowers are bright like snow, enveloped by the moon's glow, seeming to merge into one. Heaven and earth, flower color and moonlight intertwine, a scene of pure clarity and penetration. The second stanza uses the legendary "Real Person of Gushe" (a perfect, ethereal being from Zhuangzi) to describe the pear blossoms: divinely elegant, effortlessly graceful, nobly pure, not comparing themselves to other flowers, naturally first-rate among blossoms. Imagine moonlit pear blossoms, like clouds or snow, stirred by the wind under the cold, pure moon,轻盈 (light, graceful) like仙子 (immortal maidens) under the moon, possessing a noble and sublime character. The interweaving of pear blossoms and moonlight creates such a pure, magnificent scene, as if within an immortal realm. Seeing it, how could one not forget worldly dust and feel a sense of clean, careless serenity? And such清拔 (fresh and outstanding) poetry reveals the author's transcendent, unworldly state of mind – one could call him an immortal.*
写梨花最好的一首词作，世人皆望其项背，堪称词中第一。寒食前后，是梨花盛开的时节，梨花盛开，如玉树琼枝上堆着洁白的雪。在月色下，轻盈朦胧，花似雪明，月色笼罩，梨花与月亮好像融为一体。天上人间，花色交织，一片澄明通达。下阙以姑射真人喻梨花，天姿灵秀，意态舒展，气质高洁，不与群芳比颜色，自是花中第一流。明代学者杨慎在《词品》云：“丘长春咏梨花云（词略）。长春，世之所谓仙人也，而词之清拔如此。” 想月下梨花，如云似雪，在清冷洁净的月下被风吹动，轻盈如月下仙子，自有一派高洁华贵之标格。梨花与月色交织，如此纯净华美的景象，仿若如在仙境，见之，怎会不忘俗尘，生出几分干净无忧的心绪来。而这样清拔脱俗的诗词，作者更显现其仙风道骨，超凡脱俗的心境来，可称神仙。

**03**
**《Written on an Autumn Trip to Yanjing in the Jiazi Year》**
**《甲子秋游燕京作》**

Ming Dynasty · By Zhang Sanfeng
明·张三丰

I wish not to ascend the Golden Terrace high,
我不愿登黄金台，
I only wish to drink from the golden chrysanthemum cup.
我只愿饮黄花杯。
Drunk, dazed, forgetting heaven and earth,
醉里昏昏忘天地，
Past and present, fame and gain, are but dust.
古今名利总尘埃。
Don't gallop swift, instead, linger slow,
休驰骤，且徘徊，
Have done with worldly ties while still somewhat young,
早将壮岁尘缘了，
To the Five Peaks and Three Sacred Mountains, I'll go!
五岳三山归去来。

*In this life, I crave not fame and gain, but entrust my feelings to landscapes and roots in the mundane world. In clear wine, I forget heaven and earth; fame and gain are mere dust. Forgetting heaven and earth shows Master Zhang's immense perspective, having reached a sublime state. Time flies, worldly attachments are settled; henceforth, I will cultivate in stillness amidst mountains and waters, merging with nature. A true immortal is naturally carefree. Poetry reflects the heart. Reading this poem is smooth and catchy, feeling the spirit galloping joyfully; between heaven and earth, there is a unique sense of逍遥 (carefree wandering). It doesn't need meticulous explanation; after a few rough reads, one can feel its expansive liberation.*
人生在世，我不贪图名利，只寄情于山水，扎根于俗世。清酒中忘却天地，名利更是如同尘埃。忘却天地，可见张真人格局之大，已入臻境。岁月匆匆，尘缘已了，以后便在山水之间清修，与自然融于一体。真神仙，自逍遥。诗词为心灵的隐射，这首诗词读之朗朗上口，感觉心神驰骋欢快，天地之间，自有一番逍遥。是不需要精细讲解，粗粗读几遍，便能感受到其中的豁达逍遥。

**04**
**《Moon over West River · No. 4》**
**《西江月·其四》**

Song Dynasty · By Zhang Boduan
宋·张伯端

Dharma, dharma, dharma, originally no dharma,
法法法元无法，
Empty, empty, empty, yet also not empty.
空空空亦非空。
Quiet, noisy, speech, silence—originally the same.
静喧语默本来同。
In a dream, how can one speak of dream?
梦里何曾说梦。

Useful, use within usefulness is useless;
有用用中无用，
Effortless, merit within effort bestows merit.
无功功里施功。
Just like fruit ripening, naturally turns red.
还如果熟自然红。
Ask not how to cultivate or plant.
莫问如何修种。

*Buddhist sutras say: Form is emptiness, emptiness is form. Zhuangzi dreamed of a butterfly, or the butterfly dreamed of Zhuangzi. Thus, the Dharma (or Dao) is like emptiness, elusive like an antelope hanging its horns (leaving no trace). Dwelling within the great Dao of the red dust (mundane world), is it not also a great dream? Zhuangzi's "Human World" chapter: The use of the useless is the great use. As the saying goes, "Plant flowers intentionally and they may not bloom; plant willows无心 (unintentionally) and they may form a shade." The principle of the human world is自然 (naturalness, spontaneity). Therefore, the fruit ripens naturally; why ask about pruning and planting, losing its original truth? This poem uses many allusions, containing Buddhism's emptiness, Zhuangzi's butterfly dream, and the parable of the useless tree's use, to expound that in the human world, the Dao follows自然, and going with the flow leads to the true Dao. It means not altering one's original truth, adhering to the inner sense of righteousness, not doing futile work, not engaging in futile matters, following one's heart, following nature, and within nature, comprehending the true meaning of life.*
佛经有言：色即是空，空即是色。周庄梦蝶，蝶亦梦周庄。所以说道法即是空性，如羚羊挂角，不可捉摸。身处红尘大道，何尝不是大梦一场？庄子《人间世》：无用之用，方为大用。有道是“有心栽花花不开，无心插柳柳成荫。”人世间的道理，便是自然，所以，果子会自然成熟，何必去问如何修剪、栽种，失去它的本真呢。这是一首用典颇多的诗词，内含佛教的空性，周庄梦蝶和无用之用的典故，去阐述人世间，道法自然，顺其自然，方可得正大道。是不去改变自我的本真，坚持心中的道义，不做无用功，不做无用事，顺其心意，顺其自然，在自然之中，领悟人生的真意。

**05**
**《The Cowherd》**
**《牧童》**

Tang Dynasty · By Lü Dongbin
唐·吕洞宾

Grass spreads across the wilds, six, seven li far,
草铺横野六七里，
Flute play teased by the evening wind, three, four sounds stir.
笛弄晚风三四声。
Returning home, full from supper, after dusk's hour,
归来饱饭黄昏后，
Not removing straw raincoat, lies under the bright moon's power.
不脱蓑衣卧月明。

*The world is vast. Beneath the mountains and fields, grassland stretches out,蔓延 (spreading) for six or seven li. "The wind blows, grass bows, lowing oxen are seen" – a scene of perfect peace. In the evening breeze, clear notes of a flute are heard, making the world seem even vaster. The cowherd returns home for supper and comes back to tend the cattle after dusk, as the moon rises east, bathing the pasture. Without even removing his straw raincoat, he lies directly on the grass, gazing quietly at the moon. The grassland, flute sounds, moonlit night, and cowherd construct a tranquil, leisurely vignette of rural life. Word by word, it reveals the安然 (peaceful contentment) and闲静 (leisurely quiet) of a life following the sun's rise and set. It lets us feel the cowherd's heart, free of attachments, naturally relaxed. Such a peaceful, serene poem makes one understand better than thousands of words expounding doctrine that the Dao of heaven and earth is natural. The carefree, unconstrained time of the cowherd, pure and simple,无为 (non-action, effortless action), is the beauty humans truly seek in life. No fame, no gain, no sense of loss, doing what one should do, carefree and at ease. Many poems are attributed to Lü Dongbin; I privately believe this one is his best. Not a single word explicitly states doctrine or argues philosophy, yet between the lines, one sees a心境 (state of mind) that is purely fresh, desireless, and without seeking.*
天地辽阔，山野之下，草地铺陈，蔓延而去，有六七里地。风吹草低见牛羊，一派祥和之景。晚风之中，传来几分清脆的笛声，越发显得天地浩大。牧童回家吃过晚饭，再回来牧牛羊已经是黄昏之后，明月东升，笼罩牧野，牧童连蓑衣都没有脱下，径直躺在草地上静静地看着月亮。草地，笛声，月夜和牧童构建了一副恬静闲适的乡野生活小景，一字一句之中，展现了“日出而作，日落而息”的生活的安然与闲静，也让我们感受到了牧童心灵的了无牵挂，自然放松。如此安然，静美的一首诗词，比千万句道法阐述的词句更能让人明白，天地道法自然，清净无为，无拘无束的牧童时光才是人一生所追求的美好。无名利，无得失心，做自己该做的事，逍遥自在。吕洞宾流传的诗词颇多，私以为这首诗作最佳，无一字阐明道义，辩证自己的思想，却在字里行间看到纯然清新，无欲无求的心境。

**Epilogue**
**后记**

Regarding Taoist Masters writing poetry, the literary talent of Master Bai Yuchan and Master Qiu Chuji is comparable. In ancient poetry (shi), Master Bai Yuchan was prolific and highly accomplished. For lyric poetry (ci), Master Qiu Chuji's "Pear Blossom" lyric is stunningly brilliant, arguably the best.
论道家真人写诗词，其文采白玉蟾道长和丘处机道长不相上下。古诗白玉蟾道长著作颇丰，造诣也很高。而词作，丘处机道长的梨花词精彩绝伦，当数第一。

Concerning Taoism and Buddhism, from a literary perspective, there's a Taoist saying: "There are no immortals who are illiterate." This stems from the requirement for Taoist disciples to compose "Green Verses" (Qingci, formal prayers) for rituals, hence they study, read, write, can compose poetry, and possess a Confucian foundation. Buddhism, conversely, often emphasizes reciting sutras for practice and accruing merit, which doesn't inherently demand high literary composition skills. Therefore, there are generally more literate and poetically skilled Taoist priests than their Buddhist counterparts.
关于道家与佛家，从文采方面来说，道家真人说没有不识字的仙人。其渊源是道家弟子需写青词祝祷，故而读书习字，可吟诗作赋，具有儒学的底子。佛家只需诵念经文，便可修行，获得福报。所以，道家有文采的道士比有文采的佛家子弟多。

Appreciating the Masters' Daoist principles through poetry, even if just scratching the surface without grasping the true meaning, reciting these poems a hundred times can make one's heart feel more expansive and clear, offering considerable benefit.
在诗词中领略真人的道义，虽略知皮毛，不解真意，但诵读诗文百遍，也觉得心境阔达开朗不少，颇有受益。