山居
前樓後閣玲瓏起
峰頂浮圖六七層
月冷風高箇時節
衣傳半夜坐禪儈
Mountain Dwelling
Crystalline towers at the fore, jeweled halls in the rear;
The temple on the mountain’s crown—six-seven tiers appear.
Moon shines cool with the winds blowing high on this knot of time,
Robes are handed at midnight to monks sitting in Zen prime.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 前 樓 後 閣 玲 瓏 起 front tower back pavilion exquisite bright rises qián lóu hòu gé líng lóng qǐ ぜん ろう こう かく れい ろう き zen rou kou kaku rei rou ki 峰 頂 浮 圖 六 七 層 peak top hover plan six seven stories fēng dǐng fú tú liù qī céng ほう ちょう ふ と ろく しち そう hou chou fu to roku shichi sou 月 冷 風 高 箇 時 節 moon cold wind high this time season yuè lěng fēng gāo gè shí jié つき ひ かぜ たか こ じ せつ tsuki hi kaze taka ko ji setsu 衣 傳 半 夜 坐 禪 儈 robe transmit half night sitting meditation agent yī chuán bàn yè zuò chán kuài ころも でん はん よる ざ ぜん かい koromo den han yoru za zen kai 月冷風高: Moon / Cold / Wind / High. This could be simply “Moon above the cold winds”, but again, I opted to personify moon with 月冷, so, such a cool moon.
箇時節: This / Time / 節. 節 is a rich word, meaning bamboo knots and joints, signifying a special season, and also signifying moral integrity. There’s no easy way to give all these nuances.
