The 300 Tang Poems opens with four Zhang Jiuling works, of which you've seen two aready. This one is less famous than the first pair, which has made it harder to find good annotations. Be prepared for retractions and madness to come!
003
张九龄:感遇四首之三
幽人归独卧,滞虑洗孤清。
持此谢高鸟,因之传远情。
日夕怀空意,人谁感至精?
飞沈理自隔,何所慰吾诚?
yōurén guī dú wò, zhì lǜ xǐ gū qīng
hermit return lonely bed, sluggish consider wash alone clear
chí cǐ xiè gāo niǎo, yīn zhī chuán yuán qíng.
hold this wither tall bird, (therefore) spread far feeling
rìxì huài kōng yì, rén shéi gǎn zhì jīng
day night cherish empty meaning, people who feel to perfect?
fēi shěn lǐ zǐ gé, hé suǒ wèi wù chéng
fly sink at a distance I cut off, how that which console me sincere
---
The hermit returns to the solitary bed,
agglutinate thoughts washed lonely and clear.
Hold these to thank the soaring birds;
Because of them his mind spreads far.
Day and night embracing emptiness--
who on earth can know such perfection?
From flying or sinking affairs am I cut off;
what comfort do I gain from dedication?
I really like this translation! I love the format, the double verse stanza to represent the double five-character line. And I especially love the end ("what comfort do I gain from dedication?") which seems to completely capture the poetry and sense of the original.
ReplyDeleteCan you talk about some Buddhist ideas more in depth? In particular the Buddhist sense of 至精 or 空意 ? Totally awesome.