Towering is the Azure Cloud Ridge,
Below lie chasms a thousand fathoms deep.
I pace, unable to ascend,
Man weary, horse also neighs.
I long to climb the Azure Cloud road,
As if gazing at rosy cloud stairs.
They speak of the Azure Cloud post station,
Embroidered doors, hibiscus chambers.
They speak of Azure Cloud riders,
Jade bridles, golden hooves.
They speak of Azure Cloud implements,
Ritual vessels mixed with ivory and rhinoceros horn.
They speak of Azure Cloud officials,
Bright, bright, faces like jade tablets.
Harboring this Azure Cloud aspiration,
How can I long delay?
Climbing is truly not easy,
Wind and rain bleakly fall.
Already I marvel at the cuckoo bird,
Coming first to cry below the mountain.
Just reaching Azure Cloud station,
I suddenly meet a wife among the weeds.
She invites me to open her wicker door,
The dug-out cave just like a jade tablet.
Hesitant, an official comes to call,
White-haired, his complexion dark.
Offering food, he frequently shouts,
Borrowing vessels, still begging for vinegar.
The one who invited me before,
Together we forsake bean leaves and wild herbs.
Riding my Zangke horse,
Shaggy and large as a ram.
I regret this Azure Cloud intent,
This intent truly gnaws at my navel.
Once traveling under Shu's gate,
There was a post named Black Mud.
Hearing its name, my heart grieves,
As if falling into prison and dungeon.
Cloud and mud differ in name,
But people and things are all the same.
Again I hear of the Heavenly Gate above,
Looking down, sun and moon seem low.
Silver walls, stamen-pearl halls,
Jade tablets with golden character inscriptions.
The Great Emperor presides north-south,
Hosts of immortals attend east-west.
Dragons and tigers stand in solemn ranks,
Thunder rumbles, drums and pipes resound.
The Primal Lord tends the inner court,
Left and right, peach blossom paths.
Rosy clouds blaze like brocade,
Auspicious clouds light as silk.
Heavenly pools shimmer brightly,
Jade grasses lush and green.
Hosts of perfected, thousands upon thousands,
Soft faces all like tender shoots.
Hands holding phoenix-tail fans,
Heads adorned with kingfisher-feather hairpins.
Cloud melodies clash and ring,
Rainbow garments support each other.
Pairs reveal gleaming teeth,
Each lifts light silken sleeves.
Heaven's blessing, joy not yet extreme,
Vast sea-waves, no shore in sight.
Filth and lowliness the spirits despise,
How would they deign to ask of common folk?
Mulberry fields turn into sea,
The cosmic pot cooked into mince.
The Empty Sovereign does not wish to be seen,
Layers of cloud and mist obscure.
The Great Emperor—how could he be dreamt of?
The Heavenly Gate—how to ascend?
If numinous things can be seen,
I wish to use them to hint at the clue.
Insects and snakes spew cloud-breath,
Evil auras transform into rainbows.
Capturing the unicorn, it's recorded in books,
Rearing dragons, minced into paste.
The phoenix divines the parasol tree,
A thicket where a hundred birds perch.
The wild crane pecks at foul insects,
Greedy gluttony worse than a chicken.
The mountain deer hides in its den,
Tigers and leopards devour its fawn.
Comparing numinous things to numinous realms,
Crown and shoes—are they so far apart?
When the Way prevails, there is joy,
Why be ashamed to dwell among weeds?
Jin and Zhang loved fine carriages and horses,
Yu Ling personally watered his garden plots.
Whether on the beam or in the fire,
Jade and the pelican do not change.
Heaven, do not march on and on,
Hidden cave, do not be desolate.
Chanting this Azure Cloud discourse,
With broad perspective, in the end I am not lost.