Guanxiu's “Mountain-Dwelling Poems”: A Translation

Abstract

This is a translation of one of the most influential poetic series of the late-ninth century, the twenty-four “Mountain-Dwelling Poems” written by the Buddhist monk Guanxiu (832–913). Focusing on the speaker's use of imagery and allusion, the translations are accompanied by annotations which clarify obscure or difficult passages. An introduction places these poems in their historical context and highlights some of the ways in which they build syntheses out of perceived oppositions (original and revision; Buddhism, Daoism, and classical reclusion; solitude and community; reader's various perspectives; poem and series). An afterword briefly sketches the method and circumstances of the translation.