Wandering to a New Town
Li Shunxian (~ 910)Life’s carriage takes me quick to heaven’s light,
But here I pause to part this world of dust;
Alone, afraid, pursuing dreams of flight,
Yet here I’m old with dread, and leave I must.
| Chinese 隨駕遊青城 李舜弦 因隨八馬上仙山 頓隔塵埃物象閑 隻恐西追王母宴 卻憂難得到人間 | Pronunciation Suí Jià Yóu Qīng Chéng Lǐ Shùnxián Yīn suí bā mǎ shàng xiān shān Dùn gé chén āi wù xiàng xián Zhī kǒng xī zhuī wáng mǔ yàn Què yōu nán dé dào rén jiān |
Transliteration and Notes
Follow Drive Wander Green Town
Li Shunxian
Cause follow eight horses above Immortal Mountain
Stop part dust dirt things image idle
Bird frightened west pursue Queen Mother Feast
Still worry hard obtain arrival human space
“Eight horses” likely refer to the eight horses of King Mu of the Zhou Dynasty (1023-983 BC), which he used during a journey to visit the Queen Mother of the West (see below) after a dream in which he became an immortal god. The poetess here, Li Shunxian, was a Persian woman and concubine of a Chinese Emperor at a time of war and had to flee the royal court.
“Queen Mother” of the “West” is a goddess in traditional Chinese religion and mythology, associated with Daoism. She became a popular figure in Tang Dynasty poetry and is associated with immortality and bliss.
Year:
2018
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