Poetry of Han-Shan (S U N Y Series in Buddhist Studies) (Hardcover)

by Robert G. Henricks (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
This is an annotated English translation of the poetry of Han-shan (Cold Mountain), a 7th or 8th century Chinese Buddhist recluse who wrote many poems about his life alone in the hills. Many of his poems describe the mountains where he lived in dramatic, yet appealing terms, while at the same time symbolizing in Zen fashion the Buddhist quest for enlightenment. Han-shan became a cult figure in the Ch'an/Zen tradition, and legends portray him and his companion Shih-te as eccentrics who said and did nonsensical things. Han-shan does often write on unusual topics with some of his "poems" being clever insights that just happen to be metric and rhymed. His language is simple and direct; his images and symbols fresh and bold. While the literary value of his work has for the most part been overlooked, this book provides line-by-line literary analysis of some of the more artistically interesting poems. Henricks' work represents, therefore, a major contribution to the study of Chinese literature and Chinese religion.

Language Notes
Text: English, Chinese (translation)

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 486 pages
• Publisher: State University of New York Press (March 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0887069770
• ISBN-13: 978-0887069772
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #6,476,323 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gets at the Essence, January 13, 2005

By	T. W. (Northeastern United States) - See all my reviews

This is the edition for a reader seriously interested in Han Shan's poetry. Yes, the only other complete translation (by Red Pine) seems to have the virtue of elegant and readable fluidity, but upon consideration this is not the advantage one might think. Han Shan, while a master of poetic concision (dichten=condensare), differs from his more traditionally esteemed Chinese contemporaries precisely in that he is unembarrassed to express himself in "Tang colloquial: rough and fresh" (as Gary Snyder puts it).

You might be more likely to open up the latest issue of the "New Yorker" and read language like that of Red Pine, who writes "alas such a once-verdant bloom / is now a pile of ashes" for Henricks' "I sigh to see this luxuriant growth / Has today become a big pile of dirt" (#213/215). But the former is false (rushing easily over our ears with words like "verdant" and no punctuation) where the latter is true (capturing the simplicity, even bluntness, of Han Shan's art of contrasts, which consists of being at once philosophical, concrete, and plainspoken).

I also believe that Henricks' annotations do a better job putting the emphasis on the points that add to our understanding of the poet and his place in the wisdom traditions that animated his work. And unlike Red Pine, Henricks provides indices, so if you're interested in notes/poems referring to, say, the Nirvana-sutra, you can find them easily.

If you just want to delight in Han Shan's poetry on as many levels as possible, good Professor Henricks' version, whatever it lacks in glamour, is for you.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cold Mountan like Shakuhachi, June 22, 2006

By	eurydike (Santa Cruz, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Poetry of Han-Shan: A Complete, Annotated Translation of Cold Mountain (Suny Series in Buddhist Studies) (Paperback)

The great thing about Cold Mountain is that he is transparent to translators. Arguing the merits of one Cold Mountain translation against another is like comparing a Gudo Ishibashi 2.8 shakuhachi to a 2.9 Mujitsu shakuhachi by Ken LaCosse. Both flutes will get you "there." But the journey will be different.
The same is true of Cold Mountain. Snyder is as good as Watson is a good as Red Pine is as good as Henricks.
Or like Dogen translations...
why sink a straw that floats on the water, when the moon itself rides in ripples beside the straw?