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Tea Poetry

A Tea Song

Dan Chiu was an Immortal
Who cared nothing for rich foods.
But, after picking some tea & drinking it,
he sprouted wings,
And flew to the Abode of The Immortals,
To escape life's emptiness.
Now he lives among the clouds
In a palace unknown to humans.
His tea is brewed in a golden teapot
By a young immortal who lives
Upon a peak amidst the clouds.
How worthless is LuYu's Classic of Tea
When compared to this!

Chio Jen (Tang Dynasty)

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)

A friend presented me
   With tender leaves of Oolong tea,
       For which I chose a kettle
          Of ivory-mounted gold,
              A mixing-bowl of snow-white earth.
                  With its clear bright froth and fragrance,
                      It was like the nectar of Immortals.
                          The first bowl washed the cobwebs from my mind -
                              The whole world seemed to sparkle.
                                  A second cleansed my spirit
                                       Like purifying showers of rain,
                                           A third and I was one of the Immortals -
                                                  What need now for austerities
                                                           To purge our human sorrows?
                                                                 Worldly people, by going in for wine,
                                                                     Sadly deceive themselves.
                                                                     For now I know the Way of Tea is real.

Chio Jen (Tang Dynasty)

Times for Drinking Tea

In idle moments
When bored with poetry
Thought confused
Beating time to songs
When the music stops
Living in seclusion
Enjoying scholarly pastimes
Conversing late at night
Studying on a sunny day
In the bridal chamber
Detaining favored quests
Playing host to scholars or pretty girls
Visiting friends returned from far away
In perfect weather
When skys are overcast
Watching boats glide past on the canal
Midst trees and bamboos
When flowers bud and birds chatter
On hot days by a lotus pond
Burning incense in the courtyard
After tipsy guests have left
When the youngsters have gone out
On visits to secluded temples
When viewing springs and scenic rocks

from Ch'a Shu (Book of Tea)
by Hsü Jan-Ming

Tea Poem

   Willow branches graze the grass,
    As I sit in the shade drinking tea.
  A note from a flute blows clearly,
   Mingling with the sound of rain.
  I could sit here alone forever,
     And still I'd never feel lonely.

       Anonymous poem inscribed
      on an old Yi Hsing tea pot
        Translated by Daniel Reid
        Byron Bay 6th July 2007

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