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You ask why I make my home in the mountain forest by Li Po (701 - 762) Timeline English version by Sam Hamill Original Language Chinese Taoist 8th Century You ask why I make my home in the mountain forest, and I smile, and am silent, and even my soul remains quiet: it lives in the other world which no one owns. The peach trees blossom, The water flows.     -- from Endless River: Li Po and Tu Fu: A Friendship in Poetry, Translated by Sam Hamill Amazon.com   / Photo by neil alejandro /	Themes   Bower   Mountain   Silence   Smile   Spring Blossom Recommended Books Endless River: Li Po and Tu Fu: A Friendship in Poetry, Translated by Sam Hamill The Enlightened Heart: An Anthology of Sacred Poetry, by Stephen Mitchell A Feast of Lanterns, Translated by L. Cranmer-Byng Li Pai: 200 Selected Poems, Translated by Rewi Alley Li Po and Tu Fu: Poems, Translated by Arthur Cooper More >>
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Commentary by Ivan M. Granger

I smile, and am silent,
and even my soul remains quiet...

These lines give me chills.

The mind at rest, the entire self at rest, all silt having settled, leaving only quiet clarity. One becomes empty, a spacious, silent witness to the world's unfolding.

The peach trees blossom,
The water flows

Fall silent this weekend, witness wonders!

Ivan M. Granger's original poetry, stories and commentaries are Copyright © 2002 - 2011 by Ivan M. Granger.
All other material is copyrighted by the respective authors, translators and/or publishers.