Staying at Bamboo Lodge

by Po Chu-i

English version by James M. Cryer
Original Language Chinese

an evening sitting under
          the eaves of the pines
at night sleeping
          in Bamboo Lodge
the sky so clear you'd say
          it was drugs
meditation so deep, thought
          I'd gone home to the hills
                    but Clever can't beat
                    Stupid
                    and Quick won't match
                    Quiet
Untoiling-ness!
          (you just can't pave the Way)
that's it!
          the Gate of Mystery!

-- from A Drifting Boat: Chinese Zen Poetry, Edited by J. P. Seaton / Edited by Dennis Maloney

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Recommended Books: Po Chu-i

The Poetry of Zen: (Shambhala Library) A Drifting Boat: Chinese Zen Poetry The Poetry of Impermanence, Mindfulness, and Joy



Staying at Bamboo