Cold Mountain

Cold Mountain is not simply a contemporary book or popular movie but also a poet from China. Twelve centuries ago, many men retreated to the mountains in rejection of their current society (sound familiar?). While not all overtly religious, many would probably speak of their manner of life as 'hsiu Tao' or 'practicing the way'.

One of these mountain men was a poet, Han-shan--which translates as 'cold mountain'--he prolifically wrote and is a mythical figure in China, Korea, and Japan. It is speculated that he came from a privileged background and his poetry speaks of his bitter disappointment with the prevailing system. Zen and Taoist teachers revere the insight expressed in his verse.

A find young man on horseback
waves his whip at the willows
he can't imagine death
he builds no boat or ladder
the seasonal flowers are lovely
until the day they wither and fade
rock sugar and clarified butter
mean nothing when you're dead


Inside Jade Hall is a curtain of pearls
behind it lives a graceful girl
her beauty transcends the immortals
her skin is like that of a peach
spring mists rise in the east
autumn winds stir in the west
thirty years from now
she'll look like chewed sugarcane


The transient nature of what the world values is apparent in his work. More of his poetry can be found here.