jí jǐng shù hán chǐ,
qīng xīn fú chén fú。
xián chí bèi yè shū,
bù chū dōng zhāi dú。
zhēn yuán liǎo wú qǔ,
wàng jì shì suǒ zhú。
yí yán jì kě míng,
shàn xìng hé yóu shú。
dào rén tíng yǔ jìng,
tái sè lián shēn zhú。
rì chū wù lù yú,
qīng sōng rú gāo mù。
dàn rán lí yán shuō,
wù yuè xīn zì zú。
I clean my teeth in water drawn from a cold well;
And while I brush my clothes, I purify my mind;
Then, slowly turning pages in the Tree-Leaf Book,
I recite, along the path to the eastern shelter.
...The world has forgotten the true fountain of this teaching
And people enslave themselves to miracles and fables.
Under the given words I want the essential meaning,
I look for the simplest way to sow and reap my nature.
Here in the quiet of the priest's templecourtyard,
Mosses add their climbing colour to the thick bamboo;
And now comes the sun, out of mist and fog,
And pines that seem to be new-bathed;
And everything is gone from me, speech goes, and reading,
Leaving the single unison.