Moon Poem
perched on the highest
peak I gaze
in all directions without
end—
no one knows I sit here
alone;
orphan moon shines on the
cold stream,
but there’s no moon within
the stream:
the moon’s after all in
blue skies—
I recite this scrap of a
song,
but in the song, no trace
of Zen
translation © Jack Hayes 2018
based on Hanshan
For more on Hanshan
(literally “Cold Mountain”) see this Wikipedia page.
Image links to its source
on Wiki Commons:
“The Immortal Hanshan”:
Attributed to Jiang Gui; c 1500 – Hanging scroll, ink on silk.
Public domain
