LuYu Visits a
Tea Water Well
On a cold winter night
A friend dropped by.
We did not drink wine
But instead drank tea.
The kettle bubbled,
The coals glowed,
The bright moon shone
Outside my window.
The moon itself
Was nothing special -
But, oh, the plum-tree blossoms!
Tu Hsiao Shan
(Song Dynasty
or perhaps the following:
Re: "Song of Seven Cups" by Lú Tóng
"I have found several translations
throughout the internet. I took from a couple of them to put together
what I thought created the best poetic flow (keep in mind that I'm
working only with other's translations)" - unnamed author on site
http://teadrunk.org/topic/13/song-of-seven-cups-by-lu-tong/
The first cup caresses my dry lips and throat,
The second shatters the walls of my loneliness,
The third explores the dry rivulets of my soul
Searching for legends of five thousand scrolls.
With the fourth the pain of past injustice vanishes through my pores.
The fifth purifies my flesh and bone.
With the sixth I commune with the immortals.
The seventh conveys such pleasure I am overcome.
The fresh wind blows through my wings
As I make my way to Penglai.