雪
五葉華開重一葉
風飄六出轉鮮明
若人問我看何色
此是瞿曇老眼睛
Snow
On the blooming flower five-petals with another appear,
The wind-blown six-sides float and turn up so much brighter and clear;
And if a person were to ask me what form do I see in here,
It’s the very same vision of Venerable Gautama’s sphere.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 五 葉 華 開 重 一 葉 Five Leaf Flower Open Again / Layered One Leaf 風 飄 六 出 轉 鮮 明 Wind Drift Six Emerge Turn / Transform Fresh / Vivid Bright / Clear 若 人 問 我 看 何 色 If Person Ask Me See / Look What Color / Form 此 是 瞿 曇 老 眼 睛 This Is Gautama (Siddhārtha) Old / Venerable Eye Eyeball / Gaze Been a while since I posted a poem.
This has been an interesting one, I hope my English poetic acrobatics did justice to the poem, although I wonder if the phrasing is too acrobatic.
五葉: Five-petals is a common Chan reference, alluding to Five Schools of Chan Buddhism, which itself is a reference to Bodhidharma’s poem. Another petal appears - possibly the lineage Dōgen’s building.
六出: Six-sided snowflake, and six-petals, very likely a double entendre.To keep the last line rhyming, I went with using “Sphere” to say “Eyeball”. I hope it works!
