Seeing Off a Monk Returning to Japan, Qian Qi (Tang Shi #138)
Wednesday, 16 March 2022 08:50![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lnhammerFollowing karma to visit this great land,
You made the journey, traveling to a dream.
The floating sky stretched far o’er the ocean blue—
Leaving the world, your dharma boat was light.
Like moon and water calmed through meditation,
Dragons and fish obeyed your Buddhist prayers.
I feel for the shadows of a single lamp—
Ten-thousand li are clear within your eye
送僧归日本
上国随缘住，
来途若梦行。
浮天沧海远，
去世法舟轻。
水月通禅寂，
鱼龙听梵声。
惟怜一灯影，
万里眼中明。
Lots of Buddhist imagery in this one, which I think comes through in translation. Mistranslations as part of making that happen: karma is here probably better understood as “destiny” (they’re the same word in Chinese), and prayers is literally “voice.” (On a personal note, it’s interesting to see the reception of a Japanese traveler from the other side of the journey.)
---L.
You made the journey, traveling to a dream.
The floating sky stretched far o’er the ocean blue—
Leaving the world, your dharma boat was light.
Like moon and water calmed through meditation,
Dragons and fish obeyed your Buddhist prayers.
I feel for the shadows of a single lamp—
Ten-thousand li are clear within your eye
送僧归日本
上国随缘住，
来途若梦行。
浮天沧海远，
去世法舟轻。
水月通禅寂，
鱼龙听梵声。
惟怜一灯影，
万里眼中明。
Lots of Buddhist imagery in this one, which I think comes through in translation. Mistranslations as part of making that happen: karma is here probably better understood as “destiny” (they’re the same word in Chinese), and prayers is literally “voice.” (On a personal note, it’s interesting to see the reception of a Japanese traveler from the other side of the journey.)
---L.