Tuệ Trung Thượng Sĩ’s, “The Eccentric’s Song”
Nature is immense
I wander in great freedom
Nature is immense,
I wander in great freedom,
To the lofty mountains where the clouds hide,
And to the deep waters of the great oceans.
When I am hungry I eat and eat .
When I am tired, I sleep in the village—village of nowhere.
Photo credit: Mariusz Szmerdt
When I feel like playing music, I use a flute without a hole,
I burn incense of detachment when it is serene,
And I sleep on the ground of delight when I feel tired.
I quench my thirst with a portion of leisure.
Let me enjoy my joy
Let me enjoy my accentuation
Because, listen—wealth and glory are as fleeting as the clouds floating in the sky,
Alas! time is going by!
The mandarin [politicians] career is perilous, why then should I venture in it?
One should offer one’s service when called upon
But should retire into seclusion when wanted.
What shall I do then because people are not constant?
One should take off one’s clothes to cross deep waters and roll up one’s clothes to walk shallow waters.
One should offer one’s service when called upon but should retire into seclusion when wanted.
One should not cling to one’s body composed of the four elements,
And attain insight in this very life and cause all wandering.
Thus one fulfills one’s vow: to discover one’s real home
And to reach beyond the pressure of birth and death.
