China's tradition of "rivers-and-mountains" poetry stretches across millenia. This is a plain-spoken poetry of immediate day-to-day experience, and yet seems most akin to China's grand landscape paintings. Although its wisdom is rooted in ancient Taoist and Ch'an (Zen) thought, Hinton has breathed new life into this work with his beautiful translations. The rivers-and-mountains tradition treats a remarkable range of topics: comic domestic scenes, social protest, travelogue, reclusive sages, and mountain landscapes shaped into forms of enlightenment. But throughout, these poems articulate the experience of living as an organic part of the natural world and its processes. And in an age of global ecological disruption and mass extinction, this tradition grows more urgently important day by day. "Mountain Home" begins with an introduction that explains China's vision of wilderness as the fundamental cosmological model of reality. The poems follow the rivers-and-mountains tradition from its origins in the 5th century C.E. through the Sung Dynasty (13th century). The development of this tradition is traced in concise introductions to each of the nineteen poets translated. AS wilderness is the heart of Chinese poetry, this group includes virtually all of ancient China's greatest poets.

Chinese collection.

Map --Introduction -- Beginnings (5th century C.E.) -- After Mulberry-bramble Liu's poem -- Home again among fields and gardens -- After Kuo Chu-pu's poems -- In reply to Mulberry-bramble Liu -- Turning seasons -- Drinking wine -- Wandering at Oblique Creek -- An idle 9/9 at home -- Cha festival day -- Written one morning in the 5th moon, after Tai Chu-pu's poem -- Untitled / T'ao Ch'ien (365-427) -- On a tower beside the lake -- Climbing green-cliff mountain in Yung-chia -- I've put in gardens south of the fields, opened up a stream... -- Dwelling in the mountains -- On stone-gate mountain's highest peak -- Overnight at Stone-gate cliffs -- Following axe-bamboo stream, I cross over a ridge -- On a thatch-hut mountain -- In Hsin-an, setting out from the river's mouth at T'ung-lu / Hsieh Ling-Yün -- Tang dynasty (618-907) -- Gathering firewood -- Sent to Ch'ao, the palace reviser -- Autumn begins -- Stopping in Yüeh, I linger out farewell... -- Overnight at Cypress-peak monastery... -- Anchored off Hsün-yang in evening light... -- Anchored overnight on the Thatch-hut river... -- On a journey to thought-essence monastery -- Climbing Deer-Gate Mountain, thoughts of ancient times -- Returning home to Deer-Gate Mountain at night -- Looking for the recluse Chang Tzu-jung on White-Crane cliff -- Visiting the Hermitage of Ch'an Monk Jung -- Looking for Mei, Master of Way -- At Lumen-Empty Monastery, visiting the Hermitage... -- Climbing South-View Mountain's Highest Peak / Meng Hao-jan (698-740) -- Mourning Meng Hao-jan -- In reply to P'ei Ti -- Wheel-Rim River Sequence -- In the mountains, sent to Ch'an brothers and sisters -- In reply to Su, who visited my Wheel-Rim River Hermitage... -- Mourning Yin Yao -- Bird-Cry Creek -- Adrift on the Lake -- On returning to Wheel-Rim River -- In reply to vice-magistrate Chang / Wang Wei (701-761) -- Wandering up ample-gauze creek on a Spring day -- Gazing at the Thatch-Hut Mountain waterfall -- On Yellow-Crane Tower, Farewell to Meng Hao-jan... -- At Golden-Ridge -- Mountain Dialogue -- Drinking alone beneath the moon -- On peace-anew tower -- Watching a white falcon set loose -- Night thoughts at East-Forest Monastery -- Spur of the Moment -- Reverence-Pavilion Mountain, Sitting alone -- Autumn River songs -- Listening to a monk's Ch'in depths -- 9/9, out drinking on Dragon Mountain -- At Hsieh T'aio's house -- Inscribed on a wall at summit-top temple -- Clear creek chant -- Looking for Yung, the recluse master -- Thoughts in night quiet / Li Po (701-762) -- Gazing at the sacred peak -- Inscribed on the wall at Chang's recuse home -- The new moon -- Leaving the city -- Brimmed whole -- Skies clear at dusk -- Reflections in Autumn -- Night at the tower -- Morning rain -- The musk deer -- Thatch house -- 8th moon, 17th night : Facing the moon -- Dawn landscape -- In reply to a letter from Meng... -- Autumn pastoral -- Facing night -- Night -- Opposite a post-station, the boat moonlit beside a monastery / Tu Fu (712-770) -- Climbing above mind-jewel monastery,... -- Fringes of mist, a bell -- Autumn night, sent to Ch'iu Tan -- Outside my office, wandering in moonlight -- In the depths of West Mountain, visiting the master -- At West Creek in Ch'u-chou -- Evening view -- Sent to a master of Way in the Utter-peak mountains -- At truth-expanse monastery, in the dharma master's... -- Entering the Carnelian Mountains together -- At Cloud-Wisdom monastery, in the Ch'an Master's courtyard / Wei Ying-wu (737-792) -- Cold mountain (Han Shan) (c. 7th - 9th centuries) -- Untitled poems -- Laments of the Gorges -- Autumn thoughts / Meng Chiao (751-814) -- Getting up past midnight and gazing... -- Aimless wandering : First ascent, West mountain -- River snow -- Returning to compass-line Cliff'swaterfall, I stay... -- Before crossing the ridges -- An old fisherman -- In reply to Chia P'eng of the mountains... -- Gazing at mountains with Ch'an Monk primal-expanse / Liu Tsung-Yüan (773-819) -- Hsiang-yang travels : Thinking of Meng Ho-jan -- Autumn thoughts, sent far away -- Ch'un song in clear night -- Village night -- Inscribed on a wall at Jade-Spring Monastery -- My thatch hut newly built below incense-burner peak,... -- My thatched mountain hut just finished, Ch'i-Sited... -- In the mountains, asking the moon -- Enjoying pine and bambooo -- Li the mountain recluse stays the night on our boat -- Off-hand chant -- The west wind -- After quiet joys at South garden, Sent by P'ei Tu -- Waves Sifting Sand -- The north window : Bamboo and rock -- Climbing mountains in dream / Po Chü (772-846) -- Sent to a master of silence on white-tower mountain -- Looking for a recluse I can't find -- Evening landscape, clearing snow -- A sick cicada -- Mourning Meng Chiao -- South Lake -- Early autumn, sent to be inscribed on the wall at... -- For Li Chin-chou -- Sitting at night / Chia Tao (779-843) -- Egrets -- Anchored on Ch'in huai River -- The Han River -- Mountain Walk -- Unsent -- Spring south of the Yangtze -- Inscribed on recluse Yüan's lofty pavilion -- Pond in a bowl -- Climbing joy-abroad plateau / Tu Mu (803-853) -- Sung dynasty (960-1279) -- East river -- 8th moon, 9th sun : Getting up in the morning, I go out... -- On a farewell journey for Shih-hou,,.. -- Farmers -- Lunar eclipse / Mei Yao-ch'en (1002-1060) -- Wandering on Bushel Mountain -- Middle years -- Above the Yangtze -- Following thoughts -- Inscribed on Master Lake-Shadow's Wall -- Events at Bushel Mountain -- Leaving the city -- Dusk returns at Bushel Mountain : Gone to visit -- Sun west and low -- In bamboo forest / Wang An-shih (1021-1086) -- 12th moon, 14th sun : A light snow fell overnight -- 6th moon, 27th sun : Sipping wine at Lake-view Tower -- At Brahma-heaven Monastery -- At seven-mile rapids -- Sipping wine at the lake : Skies start clearing, then rain -- Visiting Beckons-away Monastery -- There's a small monastery on the cragged heights -- With Mao and Fang, Visiting Bright-insight Monastery -- After Li Szu-hsün's painting, "Cragged Islands on the Yangtze" -- Midsummer festival, wandering up as far as the Monastery -- With the Wang brothers and my son Mai, I wander... -- At the red cliffs, thinking of ancient times -- Partridge sky -- Presented to Abbot Perpetua all-gathering... -- Inscribed on a wall at thatch-hut mountain's... -- Inscribed on a painting in Wang Ting-kuo's collection... -- Crossing the mountains / Su Tung-p'o (1037-1101) -- The river village -- A mountain walk -- Following the trail up from deva-king monastery... -- Off-hand poem at my east window -- 7th moon, 29th sun, Yi Year of the Ox -- To my sun, Yü -- Light rain -- On a boat / Lu Yu (1125-1210) -- Midstream at Thorn-Bramble Island, I turn to look back... -- Four seasons among fields and gardens / Fan Ch'eng-ta (1126-1193) -- With Chün Yü and Chi Yung, I hike to... -- A cold fly -- Cold sparrows -- Breakfast at Noonday-ascension Mountain -- Ohn a boat crossing Hsieh lake -- Night rain at Luster gap -- Overnight at East island -- Crossing open-anew lake -- At Hsieh cove -- The small pond -- On the summit above tranquil-joy temple / yang Wan-Li (1127-1206) -- Notes -- Key terms : An outline of Wilderness thought in Ancient China -- Finding list -- Selected reading.

Aiso Library Poetry month selection