Tuesday 16 July 2024

Endless Spring on Yuelu Mountain

玉洞仙壇長冷落,真墟岩竇色常新。
可憐城里悠悠者,不識瀟湘四季春。

The Xian altar in the jade cave has long been left desolate,
The Zhenxu rock cave is always a fresh sight.
I pity those who spend their time in the city,
They do not know the endless spring of Hunan.

Notes:
This poem is from the "Nanyue Zongsheng Collection" (南嶽總勝集) by Chen Tianfu of the Song Dynasty.

Xian: can refer to any immortal in Taoism/Chinese folklore.

Zhenxu: a grotto on Yuelu Mountain: 洞真墟福地.

The anonymous poet complains about the neglect of the sacred places on Yuelu Mountain and pities those who spend too much time in the city.

全唐詩續拾卷五十六 [Complete Tang Dynasty Poems], Volume 56, poem 174. Chinese Texts Project. My translation.