Sagadahoc Bridge & Kennebec River
Bath, Maine
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"Exchanging Poems with Liu of Chaisang," year 414, near Shanjingli -
Few people visit such a poor place
sometimes I forget about the seasons
until village yards are covered with leaves
and sadly I realize it's autumn
even with sunflowers lighting the north window
and grain nodding in our fields to the south
still I can't feel happy
wondering if I'll have another year
I tell my wife to bring the children
it's a perfect day for a hike
*Tao Yaunming (China, 365-427). Choosing to Be Simple: Collected Poems of Tao Yuanming. Ed. Red Pine.
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Yaunming, poet and political officer, is enjoying his first choice of living - a simple life outside the city, secluded, farming the land, near nature in its barrenness. Each time he got a job to work in government in a city, he was discontent, his heart being far away back home. He never stayed with a job for long, always returning to his rustic life and dwelling.
Though where his heart wants to be, Yaunming says, "I can't feel happy." The sights, sounds, and colors of summer are receding, autumn is present, and winter is on its way. Also, he is feeling his age, wondering how much time he has before leaving - he elsewhere uses the word "leaving" for death.
Even in his twenties, Yaunming was writing of being old. Yaunming seemed to have a preoccupation with the brevity of life. For him, death was the end. He does not express any possibility in something like an afterlife or future lives. Leaving meant going nowhere and no more Yaunming.
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The poem takes a surprise turn in the final stanza. He turns to his wife (his second, for his first had died) and children (of many, likely only two, a son and daughter, still living at home), inviting them to a hike. Regardless of his dark mood, he recognizes "it's a perfect day to take a hike."
Where does the poem leave us? We, too, can see a perfect day for something uplifting when our feelings are shady and our thoughts are gloomy. Or we can moan and groan and flounder in misery. The poem invites us to choose: go out the door with Yaunming, his wife, and children and walk the trail, or sit at home in the slough of despond. Sure, the hike will not solve everything, but Yaunming will feel at least some better, possibly much better, for companioning with his loved ones on a path to somewhere. When our inner weather is dark and cloudy, even a little sunshine can make a big difference.
When I first began reading in Buddhism, I read much from Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche. He spoke of our capacity to cheer ourselves up. Reading that left an indelible impression on my life. "A hike..." might cheer Yaunming. He cannot change his age or the season; his body will continue to age, and winter will come, but he can take a hike with his family. The trail is calling. He can see the day is perfect for something besides sitting and ruminating on sad thoughts and feelings. As Thich Nhat Hanh, a late Buddhist teacher, reminds us, there are already enough conditions in our lives to be happy. Yes, if only we will open our eyes and look. A slight shift in how and where we look can make a world of difference.
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When down emotionally and captivated by negative thoughts, we can lift ourselves up by engaging in uplifting action. This action includes thinking. While learning to befriend our suffering thoughts and feelings, this does not mean passive acceptance alone, as though we can do nothing to uplift ourselves. We can learn the art of cheering ourselves up.
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*(C) Brian K. Wilcox, 2024. Permission is given to use photographs and writings with credit given to the copyright owner.
*Brian's book is An Ache for Union: Poems on Oneness with God through Love. The book is a collection of poems Brian wrote based on wisdom traditions, predominantly Christian, Buddhist, and Sufi, with extensive notes on the poetry's teachings and imagery.
