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This poem came to me after I finally have decided to go on with this journey on bike. It’s in Chinese.
星辰为盖地为毯, 天地精华日夜览
登峰越岭觅此道, 风霜雪雨也逍遥
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A ‘literal’ translation could be like this…
The galaxy as my cover, the earth as the blanket
The heaven’s and earth’s purity and essence are to be observed by day and night
Climbing the peaks and crossing the ridges to find this way
Free and happy to be with natural elements like wind, frost, snow and rain
Notes at translation:
- This Chinese character 览 means to view, watch, to observe, to see, referring to Vipassana. As I understand, Vipassana in the old Pali language has some similar meaning, i.e. to watch, to view. Traditionally, vipassana is translated as 观. For me, I like 览 more than 观, as 观 still has some active component in it, while in 览, there is more equanimity. This is however very personal.
- The literal meaning of 道 (tao) is of course way. This refers also to the spiritual essence of the Tao. With Camino to Santiago de Compostela, we have a physical way with a spiritual (and for some others also a religious) meaning.
Photo by Pars Sahin on Unsplash