A Drifting Boat: Chinese Zen Poetry [Paperback]

J.P. Seaton (Editor), Dennis Maloney (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1995

This anthology gathers over 1500 years if Chinese Zen (Ch'an) poetry, from the earliest writing -- including the Hsin Hsin Ming written by the Third Patriarch -- to the poetry of monks living in this century. Drawn together by the Zen thread, this ragged line of poet-hermits forms a profound lineage for many contemporary poets.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Before My Eyes by Ch'an Ch'eng
End Of The Road by Ch'ing Kung
Mountain Dwelling by Ch'ing Kung
Lament by Chang Chi
T'ung Pass by Chang Yang-hao
After Finishing A Poem by Chia Tao
Extempore by Chia Tao
A Letter Sent by Chia Tao
Overnight At A Mountain Temple by Chia Tao
Parting With The Monk Ho-lan by Chia Tao
Quatrain by Chia Tao
The Swordsman by Chia Tao
At Gusu by Chiao Jan
Cold Night, I Heard The Sounding Of The Watch by Chiao Jan
Gazing At T'ien-chu And Ling-yin Temples by Chiao Jan
Gazing At The Moon From South Tower by Chiao Jan
Goodbyes by Chiao Jan
Human Life by Chiao Jan
Inscribed On The Wall Of The Hut By The Lake by Chiao Jan
Metaphor by Chiao Jan
Sending Off A Friend Amidst The Cries Of Gibbons by Chiao Jan
To Be Shown To The Monks At A Certain Temple by Chiao Jan
Sending Off A Monk To Wu-t'ai Mountain by Chien Chang
Written On Master Heng Chao's Wall by Chien Chang
In Praise Of Flowers by Chih Hsuan
Singing Of Cloud Mountain by Chih Liang
Sent To Retired Schoar Lin Ho-ching by Chih Yuan
My Family Lives On Orphan Peak by Chih-tu Chueh
At Hu-k'ou, Mourning For Kao Po-tzu by Ching An
Crossing The Yang-chia Bridge Once More by Ching An
Laughing At Myself by Ching An
Moored At Maple Bridge by Ching An
Night Sitting by Ching An
On A Painting by Ching An
Over King Yu Mountain With A Friend by Ching An
Returning Clouds by Ching An
Written On The Painting 'cold River Snow' by Ching An
Painting A Pine by Ching Yun
Ahead - The Green Creek Sparkles As It Flows by Han Shan
Clouds And Mountains All Tangled Together Up To The Blue Sky by Han Shan
Despite The Obstacles I Pursued The Great Monk by Han Shan
Divination Showed My Place Among These Bunched Cliffs by Han Shan
Everyone Who Reads My Poems by Han Shan
I Like My Home Being Well Hidden by Han Shan
I Live Beneath A Green Cliff by Han Shan
I See People Chanting A Sutra by Han Shan
If You're Always Silent And Say Nothing by Han Shan
In My House There Is A Cave by Han Shan
In The Green Creek Spring Water Is Clear by Han Shan
Looking For A Place To Settle Out by Han Shan
Me - I'm Happy With The Everyday Way by Han Shan
My Heart Is Like The Autumn Moon by Han Shan
My Resting Place Is In The Deep Woods Now by Han Shan
People Ask The Way To Cold Mountain by Han Shan
Sitting Alone In Peace Before These Cliffs by Han Shan
Wanting To Go To The Eastern Cliff by Han Shan
When The Year Passes, It's Exchanged For A Year Of Worries by Han Shan
When This Generation Sees Han-shah by Han Shan
Your Essays Are Pretty Good by Han Shan
Mountain Living: 1 by Han Shan Te-ch'ing
Mountain Living: 10 by Han Shan Te-ch'ing
Mountain Living: 11 by Han Shan Te-ch'ing
Mountain Living: 12 by Han Shan Te-ch'ing
Mountain Living: 13 by Han Shan Te-ch'ing
Mountain Living: 14 by Han Shan Te-ch'ing
Mountain Living: 15 by Han Shan Te-ch'ing
Mountain Living: 16 by Han Shan Te-ch'ing
Mountain Living: 17 by Han Shan Te-ch'ing
Mountain Living: 18 by Han Shan Te-ch'ing
Mountain Living: 19 by Han Shan Te-ch'ing
Mountain Living: 2 by Han Shan Te-ch'ing
Mountain Living: 20 by Han Shan Te-ch'ing
Mountain Living: 3 by Han Shan Te-ch'ing
Mountain Living: 4 by Han Shan Te-ch'ing
Mountain Living: 5 by Han Shan Te-ch'ing
Mountain Living: 6 by Han Shan Te-ch'ing
Mountain Living: 7 by Han Shan Te-ch'ing
Mountain Living: 8 by Han Shan Te-ch'ing
Mountain Living: 9 by Han Shan Te-ch'ing
Mountain Rocks by Han Yu
Mid-autumn Moon by Heng Chao
Sending Off Ssu Tuan To Return East by Hsi Chou
Theme On The Officials' Rest Pavillion, Wu-tang Prefecture by Hsi Chou
Longing For An Old Garden by Hsiu Mu
Lung-men Village, Autumn by Hsu Hsuan
Poem Of Thanks by Hsu Ku
At A Thatched Hut On The Flower Bank Of Mount T'ien-t'ai ... by Hsu Yun
Feelings On Remembering The Day I First Produced The Mind by Hsu Yun
Sound Of The Wind In The Pines An Afternoon And Night ... by Hsu Yun
Written For The Zen Man Te-jun At Great Assemblt At Fo-yen by Hsu Yun
Ten Thousand Miles Without One by Hsueh-feng Yi Ts'un
Written On Mr. Chang's Painting Of The Drunken Monk by Huai Su
Visiting Yang Yun-shih's Villa On The Huai River by Hui Ch'ung
The Absolute by Hui K'o
No Me: Dharams All by Hui K'o
Moon Sitting by Hui Yung
Translating Sutras by Hui Yung
Night In Mid-autumn by K'o Chen
Letter To The Wild Monk by Kuan Hsiu
Moonlit Night by Kuan Hsiu
Moored On Fall River by Kuan Hsiu
Spending The Night In A Little Village by Kuan Hsiu
Thinking Of The Old Mountains Toward The End Of Autumn by Kuan Hsiu
To An Old Monk On Mount T'ien T'ai by Kuan Hsiu
I Make My Home In The Mountains by Li Po
Old Dust by Li Po
Zazen On The Mountain by Li Po
Answering Lu Ye by Liang Yi
Exhorting Others by Liao Hsing
Self-exhortation by Liao Hsing
Living As A Recluse On The Lake by Lin Ho-ching
Montasery On Hsiu-ch'i by Lin Ho-ching
Mountain Valley Temple by Lin Ho-ching
Out On The Lake Returning Late by Lin Ho-ching
A Recluse On Orphan Mountain by Lin Ho-ching
Self-portrait At A Little Hermitage by Lin Ho-ching
Spring Day On West Lake by Lin Ho-ching
Keepsake For The Old Man Of Chung-chou by Ling Yi
Letter To A Wandering Husband: Go Home by Ling Yi
Riverbank Epiphany by Ling Yi
River Snow by Liu Tsung-yuan
Evening Bells Near A Temple by Ma Chih-yuan
Trained Flowers: Wild Grasses by Miao Hui
Wind And Water by Miao Yin
Bamboo Grove by P'ei Ti
Deer Park by P'ei Ti
Hsin-village by P'ei Ti
Hua-tzu Hill by P'ei Ti
Lacquer-tree Garden by P'ei Ti
Lake Yi by P'ei Ti
Lakeside Pavilion by P'ei Ti
Magnolia Enclosure by P'ei Ti
Meng Wall Cave by P'ei Ti
North Hillock by P'ei Ti
Rill Of The House Of Luans by P'ei Ti
South Hillock by P'ei Ti
White Rock Rapids by P'ei Ti
Old Monk by Pao T'an
Written At Candidate Hsu's Villa On The Ti River by Pao T'an
Ninety Fragrant Days Of Spring by Pao-chueh Tsu-hsin
Above The Pond by Po Chu-yi
Autumn's Cold by Po Chu-yi
Crane by Po Chu-yi
Lute by Po Chu-yi
May: The Pond's Full by Po Chu-yi
Pondside by Po Chu-yi
Staying At Bamboo Lodge by Po Chu-yi
Inscription For A Painting by Po-tzu T'ing
Watching The Flowers by Po-tzu T'ing
Verses On The Mind-faith by Seng Ts'an
All That Fall's None Other Than by Shei-an Liao Yen
Old Monk by Shen Ying
As Flowing Waters Disappear Into The Mist by Shih Shu
The Human Body Is A Little Universe by Shih Shu
Cloudy Mountains, Fold On Fold by Shih Te [pseud.]
Far, Far, The Mountain Path Is Steep by Shih Te [pseud.]
I Laugh At Myself, Old Man, With No Strength Left by Shih Te [pseud.]
Idle, I Visited The High Monks by Shih Te [pseud.]
If You Want To Be Happy by Shih Te [pseud.]
If You Want To Catch A Rat by Shih Te [pseud.]
A Long Way Off, I See Men In The Dirt by Shih Te [pseud.]
Not Going, Not Coming by Shih Te [pseud.]
See The Moon's Bright Blaze Of Light by Shih Te [pseud.]
Sermons There Are, Must Be A Million by Shih Te [pseud.]
Since I Came To This T'ien T'ai Temple by Shih Te [pseud.]
Returning Alone by Shou Ch'uan
My Road's Beyond Blue Emptiness by Shu Shan K'uang-jen
From Japan by Su Man-shu
Having Hope, Or Holding On by Su Man-shu
Headed East, Goodbye To An Elder Brother by Su Man-shu
Passing Pine Bank, I Was Moved by Su Man-shu
Passing Rushfields by Su Man-shu
Passing The Birthplace Of Cheng Ch'eng-kung by Su Man-shu
The Sea, The Sky by Su Man-shu
To Mei-wen In Kuangchou by Su Man-shu
Written At White Cloud Hall Beside West Lake by Su Man-shu
Drinking With Liu Tzu-yu At Gold Temple Mountain by Su Shih
A Harmony To Ching Hui-shu's Rhymes by Su Shih
Presented To Liu Ching-wen by Su Shih
Reversible Verse: Inscription For Fold Mountain Temple: 1 by Su Shih
Reversible Verse: Inscription For Fold Mountain Temple: 2 by Su Shih
Song To The Tune Nan Ko Tzu by Su Shih
T'ien-ho Temple by Su Shih
To The Tune Of Huan Chi Sha by Su Shih
Green Mountains Father White Clouds by T'ung-shan Liang Chieh
Poet's Zen by Ta Hsiang
Lone Monk by Ta Kuei
Calling Out To Buddha by Tai An
End Of The Road by Tao K'ai
Early Plums by Tao Yuan
Autumn Night On The River by Ts'an Liao Tzu
Hut Mountain by Ts'an Liao Tzu
The Little Hut by Ts'an Liao Tzu
Morning Awakening by Ts'an Liao Tzu
On The Huai River by Ts'an Liao Tzu
Seventeenth Night Of The Eighth Month, Written In A Dream by Ts'an Liao Tzu
Summer Night by Ts'an Liao Tzu
Visiting The Monastery At Lung-men by Tu Fu
Snow by Tzu Lan
Allegory by Wang Anshih
Hiu-chu Temple, Mount K'un by Wang Anshih
I Have Read A Million Books by Wang Anshih
If I Were An Ox Or Horse by Wang Anshih
Luck Is Hard To Find When You're Down And Out by Wang Anshih
Miscellaneous Poem by Wang Anshih
On The River by Wang Anshih
Puppets Are Gadgets And Nothing More by Wang Anshih
Grieving For Zen Master Chien Chang by Wei Feng
Sent To Academician Ch'en At Instit. Illumination Literature by Wei Feng
Delight At A Call By Principal Graduate 'big' Sun by Wei Ye
Farewell To Taoist Scholar Hsu On His Way To Imperial Palace by Wei Ye
Farewell To The Reverend Huai Ku Going Roaming .. Hangchou by Wei Ye
Farewell To The Reverend Wu Yang Returning To Chung-t'iao by Wei Ye
Late Autumn Cherishing Thoughts Of Master Jun by Wei Ye
Ode To Myself At Forty by Wei Ye
On An Autumn Night I Write My Feelings Out by Wei Ye
White Chrysanthemums by Wei Ye
Writing The Events Of A Summer Day by Wei Ye
Writing The Events Of A Winter Day by Wei Ye
Hidden Garden by Wen Chao
Sedge-crown Courtyard by Wen Chao
Lute by Yin Luan
Meeting An Old Man by Yin Luan
Offered To Gentlemen-in-attendance Ch'ien At Library ... by Yu Chao
Staying At The Residence Of Academician Ting Chu Yen by Yu Chao
By Accident by Yuan Mei
Gone Again To Gaze On The Cascade by Yuan Mei
Just Done (1) by Yuan Mei
Just Done (2) by Yuan Mei
Late Gazing, Looking For An Omen As The Sun Goes by Yuan Mei
Late, Walking Alone To A Temple In The Mountain's Cleft by Yuan Mei
Laughing At Myself For Lazing Around At West Lake by Yuan Mei
Mad Words by Yuan Mei
Monk's Place by Yuan Mei
Mornings Arise by Yuan Mei
Motto by Yuan Mei
Nearing Hao-pa by Yuan Mei
P'u-t'o Temple by Yuan Mei
Rolling Up The Curtain by Yuan Mei
Temple Of The Bamboo Grove by Yuan Mei
Cold Food Festival Day by Yun Piao
-- Table of Poems from Poem Finder®

About the Author

Dennis Maloney is a poet and translator. His translations include the work of Pablo Neruda and Juan Ramon Jime.

Product Details

• Paperback: 200 pages
• Publisher: White Pine Press (January 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1877727377
• ISBN-13: 978-1877727375
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #324,762 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #61 in Books > Literature & Fiction > World Literature > Chinese

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Drifting.., April 7, 2000

By 

Charles Pinney (North Carolina) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Drifting Boat: Chinese Zen Poetry (Paperback)

A Drifting Boat includes Chinese Zen poems that have been gathered over 1500 years. The book has been divided into six sections, each one covering the poets of a different dynasty.

The poems themselves are beautiful, simple yet complex, elegant. The words just seem to flow from the pages. A delightful reading experience.

"as I wonder aimlessly under a frozen moon a flute poors its beauty from a nearby tower. then morning breezes begin to rise and gust - the river already a carpet of scattered white blossoms." --Kuan Hsiu

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great poetry anthology !, May 24, 2004

By 

Robert W. Audretsch "bob1941" (Flagsatff, AZ, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Drifting Boat: Chinese Zen Poetry (Paperback)

Quite by accident I discovered the book "Mountain Home; the Wilderness Poetry of Ancient China" translated by David Hinton. That got me started on a search of nature and Zen poetry of China and Japan. So far I have read at least a few dozen books and this is my favorite! The anthology covers from 4th century to modern and has quite a few authors represented. The sensitive translations are what, I am sure, attracts me to re-read and highlight this book. This book is a keeper!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars TRULY SPECIAL LANGUAGE, November 24, 2006

By 

T. Bellows "soul9" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Drifting Boat: Chinese Zen Poetry (Paperback)

This is a great read. The spare images have such power and rightness. A kind of serenity too. Might go well with Poems of the Late T'ang (Graham)and Stranger by the River (Twitchell).