Following Old Du’s "Ascending the Heights" Rhyme to Record a Dream

2008/1/26 10:23:21

Last night I endured a dream. This morning I rose and followed Old Du's "Ascending the Heights" rhyme to record it. The poem reads:

Following Old Du's "Ascending the Heights" Rhyme to Record a Dream

Chán Zhōng Shuō Chán

Seas roar, mountains convulse—the stars above lament,
Thunder boils, lightning seethes—startled awake in the night.
Scorching sky, blood rain chasing the wind down,
Cracking earth, mournful songs treading into the dream.
Years and months without mercy—tears flung into the void,
Heaven and earth so plagued—in fury I ascend the stage.
Across the vast, vast wilderness—where is the way home?
Ten thousand ages of clouds and sky—one cup of wine.