Or a Scranton party

2008-09-18

Or a Scranton party

Ancient oaths bind all who read Sinophone literature to one day attempt a Cold Mountain translation. Here then is mine.

Source courtesy of the International Research Institute for Zen Buddhism.

登陟寒山道寒山路不窮
谿長石磊磊澗濶草濛濛
苔滑非關雨松鳴不假風
誰能超世累共坐白雲中

Keep on climbing up Cold Mountain Way
But a Cold Mountain road don't stop
Long is the valley, rolled 'round with rocks
Wide is the gully, grown green with grass
Moss can grow slick here without any rain
Pine trees can sing without borrowing wind
Who then will rise above worldy affairs
And come to sit with me in this here white cloud?

磊磊 is probably the word that interests me most in this poem, since I can so clearly imagine the moment of its creation: "Oh, man, I need a word for that onomatopoeia for 'a bunch of rocks'... I know! I'll just write 'rock' a bunch of times." Ah, the early days of Chinese orthography.

I also like the way this poem demonstrates the essential unity of Cold Mountain with a P-Funk party, like which no other party is.

Popularity factor: 5

K.:

On the basis of the few posts I've perused, this is a popularity factor which ought to be upped.

Bill:

Does he later exhort the non-necessity of water, in relation to a burning roof?

Matt:

Bill: Well, he does often riff off that Lotus Sutra parable: "So I want to say to the owner of the house on fire: go out to the field and get on the white cow!" (to run away). As to whether the motherfucker should be permitted to burn or not, I think that'd be a greater vehicle/lesser vehicle dispute.

K.: Thanks! Every little bit helps.

Ryan:

I like your use of "this here." You don't see that in print too much these days.

Matt:

I figure there's no point in doing old hickory like this unless you throw in something bizarre to justify the reader's time investment. Coming soon: the I Ching in limerick form.

2008-09-18