At first, from a noble gate I came,
But my heart dwelled in woods and streams.
To serve a sage, no place lacked claim,
To gaze at Yan, Heaven grants all dreams.
Fish and insects may yet reach Buddha's state,
Chickens and dogs all ascend to immortal fate.
Yet I am not among the thirty-six,
But Heaven's grace on me is fixed.
In youth, my spirit bold and grand,
As days grew long, my literary brilliance fanned.
Lute and sword warmed my humble mat,
Rivers and lakes stirred through years, just that.
Unlike the three masters' works, I stand apart,
But in the five schools' Chan, I find my heart.
Having left the Ru and Si's domain,
I then followed Wo Quan as my guide, plain.
My shoulder leans by Hong Ya's right,
The Way lies before Ling Yun's light.
What I gained is Heaven's secret lore,
And those I befriended are sages of yore.
Resources for great elixirs I may seek,
To buy a mountain, funds I must keep.
East, I visit Dinghu's waves in flight,
West, I seek Cangwu's misty height.
An inch of steel, tempered a hundredfold,
Half a life in twin leg-wraps, stories untold.
Official sash and cap—not without desire,
But fish and birds follow what they require.
Free spirit broad as five lakes' span,
Empty fame spread through the four seas' plan.
Sated on black essence rice, I dine,
Read carefully the Yellow Stone's line.
Recently from Seven Min I came out,
Lost, adrift in the market's rout.
Red dust stings the eyes with its glare,
Fame and profit mutually sear.
Wealth and rank I've tasted from the tripod's brew,
Clouds and skies await the whip's due.
Time wasted, youth slipped away,
Late dusk brings hair streaked with gray.
Yet there are Anqi's dates, so fine,
And Taihua's lotus, divine.
High hills easily turn to vales,
The vast sea soon becomes dry trails.
Light and shadow vanish in a blink,
Nature's splendor shifts on the brink.
Looking up, I sometimes laugh at the sky,
Gazing at my shadow, long I sigh.
How remote the Purple Palace's sphere,
How deep the Blue Luan's flight, unclear.
Penglai's clouds stretch vague and far,
The Lesser Haven's moon gleams like a star.
I tread the path of azure mist,
Gather merit from Yellow Sprout, alchemist.
Above, to roam the Great Void's space,
Below, to probe the Nine Abyss's place.
The capital's aura holds its sway,
Lakes and mountains offer joy without decay.
Whither shall I drift, so free?
This departure is like a cicada shedding its shell, you see.