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Su Dongpo and the Trick he says he Learned from Tao Qian
The simplest way to find tranquility:
keep starting over in a different way.
He knows nothing about those who find tranquility,
free from what surrounds them; he’s never met anyone like that.
Let’s send him somewhere else, see if he changes his tune then.
His trick is to be more than happy when things are going well.
It’s a warm evening and it will rain later.
More to see left and right than he can list.
Quiet, except for old man Du Fu reproaching old man Tao Qian
for being restless about what he doesn’t have enough of.
Translation of "Su Dongpo en de truc die hij zegt van Tao Qian geleerd te hebben." © Nachoem Wijnberg. By arrangement with the author. Translation © 2011 by David Colmer. All rights reserved.
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