October 20^th, 2023

At dawn I wandered
To visit a famous mountain.
The mountain was far,
Set in blue mists of sky,
Its swelling vapors
Covered a hundred miles,
And I just arrived
As the sun went down.

I heard a bell’s sound
At valley’s mouth,
By wood’s edge,
Recognized incense in the air.
So staff in hand,
I sought my old friend,
Ungirthing my saddle,
Halted my mount for a while.

By the gate of stone
A sheer ravine falls off sharply,
And the path through
Bamboo grew darker, deeper.
Dharma’s companion rejoices meeting me,
In speculative discussion we do not sleep.