An Anthology of Poetry by Buddhist Nuns of Late Imperial China, 2023, compiled and translated by Beata Grant, available from Oxford University Press

Gatha - Lianhua Kedu

Get naked, and the ease you feel
will know no end,
As you manifest most gloriously
your original true self.
At daybreak, change the water
and light the incense.
It’s all about the ordinary things
of the everyday world.

The Chrysanthemum - Zhisheng (1635-1653)

The hanging screen secretly exudes the fragrance
Of a flower more exotic than any adorned beauty.
It does not wilt along with the autumn grasses,
But stands alone defying the heavy frost.

A Leisurely Visit to an Ancient Temple (excerpt) - Zukui Xuanfu

The incense burner in the ancient temple
has been left to grow cold.
The fallen flowers and fragrant grasses
keep chattering orioles company. […]
The evening sun sets in the west,
while the river flows east.
Standing alone, I cannot hear
a single human voice.

My Aspirations - Zukui Xuanfu

The Way of the Buddhas and Patriarchs
is both profound and subtle.
It can be realized at all different levels,
according to different people’s needs.
People of these later times are second-rate
and do not understand what this means.
Brandishing swords, they chase in pursuit
of the transmission of the robes!

The Second Month of Autumn: A Parting Poem (excerpt) - Jizong Xingche (b. 1606)

[…]
It is not my lot in life to be a lofty recluse,
At times found living in seclusion, and at times not.
When one is mindless, one can settle down with tigers.
Full of resolve, one can live among quails.
[…]

Presented to Layman Xu Jingke (excerpt) - Jizong Xingche (b. 1606)

When one knows ephemeral fame
to be no more than an illusion,
One may distance oneself from the world
and build oneself a hermitage.
In front of the courtyard, the slender bamboo
allows the moon to hide;
Below the eaves, the winding brook
allows the fish to freely swim.
[…]
Do not allow the affairs of the world
to uselessly drag you along.
The Han pavilions and Qin palaces
are now nothing but ruins.