Savoring Serenity: Tea, Poetry, and Ceramics Art
YuanKevinShare
Tea, as a traditional beverage in ancient China, carries rich cultural connotations and historical accumulation. Tea drinking is not only a way of life but also a spiritual enjoyment and a sanctuary for the soul. In ancient times, tea drinking was regarded as a way to connect with nature, whether it was on grass mats in the mountains or in tranquil rooms, one could feel the fragrance and aura of tea. These wonderful tea cultures were also vividly expressed in ancient poems, let us appreciate their charm together.
六羡歌
唐·陆羽
不羡黄金罍，不羡白玉杯；
不羡朝入省，不羡暮入台；
惟羡西江水，曾向金陵城下来。
Six Envious Songs
By Lu Yu, Tang Dynasty
Not envious of golden flasks, nor of white jade cups;
Not envious of morning court sessions, nor of evening palace visits;
Only envious of the waters of the West River, once flowing beneath the walls of Jinling City.
九日与陆处士羽饮茶
唐·皎然
九日山僧院，东篱菊也黄。
俗人多泛酒，谁解助茶香。
Drinking Tea with Master Lu Yu on the Ninth Day
By Jiao Ran, Tang Dynasty
On the ninth day, at the mountain monk's temple, the eastern hedge's chrysanthemums turn yellow.
Common folk often float in wine, who understands the help of tea's fragrance?
雪夜郑太吉送慧山泉
明·文徵明
有客遥分第二泉，分明身在慧山前。
两年不挹松风面，百里初回雪夜船。
青箬小壶冰共裹，寒灯新茗月同煎。
洛阳空说曾驰传，未必缄来味尚全。
On a Snowy Night, Zheng Taiji Sends Springs from Hui Mountain
By Wen Zhengming, Ming Dynasty
A distant guest shares the second spring, clearly feeling present at Hui Mountain.
For two years, not sipping the wind among the pines, but returning by boat on a snowy night for the first time in a hundred miles.
The green bamboo small pot is wrapped in ice, the cold lamp and new tea are brewed with the moon.
Luoyang emptily speaks of past glories, but not necessarily preserving the taste in a sealed package.
一字至七字诗·茶
唐·元稹
茶。
香叶，嫩芽。
慕诗客，爱僧家。
碾雕白玉，罗织红纱。
铫煎黄蕊色，碗转曲尘花。
夜后邀陪明月，晨前独对朝霞。
洗尽古今人不倦，将知醉后岂堪夸。
One-Word to Seven-Word Poem: Tea
By Yuan Zhen, Tang Dynasty
Tea.
Fragrant leaves, tender buds.
Admired by poets, loved by monks.
Grinding carved white jade, weaving red silk.
Pan-fried, the color of yellow blossoms; in the cup, swirling dust and flowers.
Inviting the moon to accompany after nightfall, facing the morning glow alone before dawn.
Cleansing away weariness from ancient times, knowing not to boast after intoxication.
山泉煎茶有怀
唐·白居易
坐酌泠泠水，看煎瑟瑟尘。
无由持一碗，寄与爱茶人。
Thoughts While Brewing Tea by the Mountain Spring
By Bai Juyi, Tang Dynasty
Sitting, pouring the clear spring water, watching it boil and churn like dust.
Unable to hold a cup, I send this to my fellow tea lover.
两碗茶
唐·白居易
食罢一觉睡， 起来两碗茶；
举头看日影， 已复西南斜；
乐人惜日促， 忧人厌年赊；
无忧无乐者， 长短任生涯。
Two Bowls of Tea
By Bai Juyi, Tang Dynasty
After eating, a nap;
Waking, two bowls of tea.
Lifting my head, the sun's shadow has turned southwest;
The joyful cherish the hastening days, the worried despise the loaned years;
Without worry or joy, life's length matters not.
尝茶
唐·刘禹锡
生拍芳丛鹰觜芽，老郎封寄谪仙家。
今宵更有湘江月，照出菲菲满碗花。
Tasting Tea
By Liu Yuxi, Tang Dynasty
Picking fresh tea leaves among fragrant bushes, resembling hawk beaks;
An old friend sends tea as a gift, from a distant place of exile.
Tonight, there's the moon over the Xiang River, casting light onto the bowl of flowers.
七碗茶歌
唐·卢仝
一碗喉吻润， 二碗破孤闷。
三碗搜枯肠， 惟有文字五千卷。
四碗发轻汗， 平生不平事，
尽向毛孔散。
五碗肌骨清， 六碗通仙灵。
七碗吃不得也， 唯觉两腋习习清风生。
蓬莱山， 在何处？
玉川子乘此清风欲归去。
Seven Bowls of Tea Song
By Lu Tong, Tang Dynasty
One bowl moistens the throat, two dispels loneliness.
Three clears the mind, with five thousand scrolls worth of words.
Four brings a light sweat, releasing life's burdens through every pore.
Five clears the bones, six enlightens the spirit.
Seven, one can't take any more, feeling the cool breeze under the arms.
Where is Penglai Mountain?
Jade River lad wants to ride this clear wind home.
惠山谒钱道人烹小龙团登绝顶望太湖
宋·苏轼
踏遍江南南岸山，逢山未免更留连。
独携天上小团月，来试人间第二泉。
石路萦回九龙脊，水光翻动五湖天。
孙登无语空归去，半岭松声万壑传。
Visiting Qian the Taoist on Huishan, Brewing Xiaolongtuan, Climbing the Peak to View Taihu Lake
By Su Shi, Song Dynasty
Traveling through the mountains of the southern bank of the Yangtze, every mountain encountered is hard to leave.
Alone, bringing the small moon from the sky, to test the second spring of the world.
The stone path winds around the Nine Dragon Ridge, the water reflects the sky of the Five Lakes.
Sun Deng has no words, empty return home, the sound of pines half on the ridge echoes through the valleys.
人月圆·山中书事
元·张可久
兴亡千古繁华梦，诗眼倦天涯。
孔林乔木，吴宫蔓草，楚庙寒鸦。
数间茅舍，藏书万卷，投老村家。
山中何事？松花酿酒，春水煎茶。
Human and Moon: Writing in the Mountains
By Zhang Kejiu, Yuan Dynasty
The rise and fall of a thousand-year-old bustling dream, the eyes of poetry are weary of the ends of the earth.
In the Confucian forest, tall trees; in the Wu Palace, creeping grass; in the Chu temple, cold crows.
Several thatched cottages, housing ten thousand scrolls, settled in an old village.
What's there in the mountains? Brewing wine from pine flowers, brewing tea from spring water.
Through the words of poets, we seem to be immersed in the fragrant mountains, feeling the depth and charm of tea culture. Each poem praises tea and celebrates life, allowing us to return to inner peace and savor the beauty of peaceful times in the bustling modern society.
