Master Hui, a Buddhist monk,
Is truly an unbridled soul.
At fifteen, he loved mountains and streams,
Transcendent, he left friends and kin whole.
He cast off his cap, cut his hair,
Flew on foot, leaving worldly trace.
Starting his journey, he entered Siming,
Climbed empty ladders to autumn sky's space.
Then ascended Tiantai to gaze around,
All valleys stood rugged and profound.
Night lodging on the highest peak,
Raising his head to watch stars streak.
Their radiance shone upon each other,
North and south vied to spread their luster.
This place forbids flying or running,
Nature is stern and divine, stunning.
A gentle breeze blows through trees and stones,
Roaring, one hears Shao and Jun tones.
At midnight rising to look below,
Vast waves hold the sun's wheel in tow.
Fish and dragons startled, leap and bound,
Their cries become sorrowful sound.
Strange vapors, sometimes purple or red,
Knock and grind, coiling overhead.
The golden crow having soared on high,
The world turns fresh in a blink of an eye.
Often heard of Yu's Cave, wondrous sight,
East he went to glimpse Ou and Min's light.
Yue customs care not for ancient ways,
Transmissions lose truth in later days.
Secluded traces, remote and hard to find,
The sage's path, alas, long buried, I mind.
Returning, he faced Zhejiang's tide,
Towering like high E'min, side by side.
A lofty will, not ceasing even in death,
A thousand years like a morning's breath.
Right and wrong, what are they after all?
To discard them is not my kind's call.
Crossing the river, he reached Mount Lu,
Vast and boundless, his roaming through.
Lofty peaks vanished into cloud's veil,
Gentle slopes soaked in lake's trail.
At that time, rain had just cleared away,
A hanging waterfall like heaven's sash lay.
The year before last, he went to Luofu,
Treading by the South Sea's shore, true.
Great indeed is the sun's virtue, strong,
Glory and lushness forever keep spring.
The roc sheds its long feathers in flight,
Whales play, showing their long scales bright.
Since coming to Lianzhou's temple ground,
He never once approached the town's bound.
Daily he led cloud-high guests,
Exploring wonders to cliffs' ends, their quests.
The prefect invited, he would not go,
Officials pleaded, to and fro.
His pouch held not a single coin of gold,
Yet he called the wealthy poor, bold.
Yesterday he suddenly disappeared,
I ordered to visit his neighbor, feared.
Hurrying myself, I caught up in chase,
Grasping his hand, asked the cause's trace.
Looking at me, he instead felt joy,
“Are you, sir, different from common employ?
Partings and meetings since ancient days are so,
Farewells, why treasure them, you know?
I've heard Jiuyi is fine,
My long-held wish now seeks to shine.
The mottled bamboo weeps for Shun's wife,
The clear Xiang drowns Chu's loyal, strife.
Mount Heng and Lake Dongting,
This is the path my journey's bringing.
Seeking Song, I'll just reach Luoyang,
Passing Hua, then to Qin I'll fly along.
Drifting, I have no fixed place,
By chance going where a ford I face.”
I say, you should go your way,
Your path is not what I obey.
River fish cannot live in a pool,
Wild birds are hard to cage and rule.
I am not of the Western creed,
But love your madness and purity, indeed.
I detest the idle wanderer's kind,
But love your simplicity and earnest mind.
Go then, our aims are not the same,
Why should we wet our handkerchiefs in vain?