Here's poem #2 from 二十四詩品 Twenty-Four Classes of Poetry by Tang dynasty poet 司空圖 Sikong Tu. I find that each poem calls for its own sort of punctuation in English; this one needs a little something extra, but I haven't gone back yet to really figure out what.
Assuming anyone's reading these, I'd be curious to know if they thought there was any connecting theme or approach across the poems. Obviously it's hard to discern such a thing when I've only posted three poems, but give it some thought, dear reader.
Enjoy, and stay safe during the pandemic. If you have to go out, keep your distance from folks, wear a mask, and wash your hands. Things aren't getting better anytime soon, and we've gotta adapt.
微臣
史大偉
-----
沖淡
司空圖
素處以默
妙機其微
飲之太和
獨鶴與飛
猶之惠風
荏苒在衣
閱音修篁
閱音修篁
美曰載歸
遇之匪深
即之愈希
脫有形似
握手已違
-----
"Unassuming
Tranquility"
Sikong Tu
Dwelling
in silence, untouched, unadorned
subtle
and imperceptible in its workings
drinking
of the supreme harmony
flying
alongside the solitary crane
Like
a gentle breeze
that
barely rustles one's robe
heard
through tall bamboo—
beauty
that calls out to be carried home
It
is not difficult to come across
approaching
it, it grows ever more scarce
free
of form and appearance,
when
grasped, it disappears
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