Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, THE POEMS OF COLD MOUNTAIN: 246, by HAN SHAN


Poetry Explorer

Classic and Contemporary Poetry

THE POEMS OF COLD MOUNTAIN: 246, by                     Poet's Biography
First Line: I recently hiked to a temple in the clouds
Last Line: Persisting in idiocy holding onto doubts
Alternate Author Name(s): Kanzan; Hanshan; Han-shan
Subject(s): Chinese Literature; Fools; Ignorance; Taoism; Idiots; Dullness; Stupdity


I recently hiked to a temple in the clouds
and met some Taoist priests
their star caps and moon capes askew
the explained they lived in the wild
I asked them the art of transcendence
they said it was beyond compare
and called it the peerless power
the elixir meanwhile was the secret of the gods
and they were waiting for a crane at death
or some said they'd ride off on a fish
afterwards I thought this through
and concluded they were all fools
look at an arrow shot into the sky
how quickly it falls back to earth
even if they could become immortals
they would be like cemetery ghosts
meanwhile the moon of our mind shines bright
how can phenomena compare
as for the key to immortality
within ourselves is the chief of spirits
don't follow Lords of the Yellow Turban
persisting in idiocy holding onto doubts





Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!


Other Poems of Interest...
Home: PoetryExplorer.net