Anyone know some good tea poems?

[Stormy_Tea_Cup]

I know a great tea poem! And I just love it! I think it''s one of the best poems out there! Part of it is in my signature (couldn't squeeze it all in).

[Drax]

You're signature's not showing up.

I'm partial to the "Seven Cups" poem. Or in this translation, Seven Bowls.

(copied from a teadrunk.org post courtesy of LaoChaGui):

"Song of Seven Cups" from the poem: "Taking Up the Pen to Thank Mèng Jiànyì for Sending New Tea"
by Lú Tóng of the Táng Dynasty

One bowl moistens the lips and throat;
Two bowls shatters loneliness and melancholy;
Three bowls, thinking hard, one produces five thousand volumes;
Four bowls, lightly sweating, the iniquities of a lifetime disperse towards the pores.
Five bowls cleanses muscles and tendons;
Six bowls accesses the realm of spirit;
One cannot finish the seventh bowl, but feels only a light breeze spring up under the arms.

《走笔谢孟谏议寄新茶》《七碗茶歌》唐 卢仝
zǒubǐ xiè Mèng Jiànyì jìxīnchá -- qīwǎnchágē Táng Lú Tóng
一碗喉吻润
yīwǎn hóuwěn rùn
二碗破孤闷
èrwǎn pò gūmèn
三碗搜枯肠，惟有文字五千卷
sānwǎn sōu kūcháng,wéiyǒu wénzì wǔqiānjuàn
四碗发轻汗，平生不平事尽向毛孔散
sìwǎn fā qīnghàn, píngshēng bùpíngshì jìnxiǎng máokǒng sàn
五碗肌骨清
wǔwǎn jīgǔ qīng
六碗通仙灵
liùwǎn tōng xiānlíng
七碗吃不得也，唯觉两腋习习清风生
qīwǎn chībùdéyě, wéijué liǎngyè xíxiqīngfēng shēng

[gingkoseto]

One of the most popular and one of my favorites, I don't know how to translate it exactly. It's generally about:

A good friend is visiting at this cold night. With tea there is no need of wine. The fire is getting bright and water is boiling on the bamboo stove. The moon is the same one, but the new plum flowers by my window add colors to the moon.

Ok, I feel I just made a bad version of a good poem...
But Somerset Maugham said, there is no way to translate a poem. Even he couldn't do it

I do miss good friends' visiting in a cold day, and having tea with tea friends!

And stormy_tea_cup, you got us very curious about the poem in your signature, which can't be seen!

[xuancheng]

I don't think the signatures are enabled on this particular forum. Maybe you can enable them in your settings.

I would be interested in seeing your poem if you care to paste it into this thread. I love Chinese Tea poetry.

I like this poem:
"Seeing off the Mountain Man Lù Hóngzhè (Lù Yǔ) to Pick Tea"
by Huángfǔ Zēng of the Táng Dynasty

Thousands of peaks await this recluse,
Fragrant tea bushes bud and grow thick;

For picking, he knows the deepest places,
I envy his solitary journey through glowing morning mists;

His remote destination: a distant mountain temple,
Supping in the wilderness, the spring water clear;

Loneliness pervades, I light a lamp at night,
And yearning for his company, sound the stone chime once.

Here is another translation of the same poem, and other tea poems can be found on this same now defunct tea forum. I posted a link to this site in another thread in this same section(miscellany), but I think it has some useful stuff, so I'm posting another!

[Victoria]

One of the most popular and one of my favorites, I don't know how to translate it exactly. It's generally about:

A good friend is visiting at this cold night. With tea there is no need of wine. The fire is getting bright and water is boiling on the bamboo stove. The moon is the same one, but the new plum flowers by my window add colors to the moon.

Ok, I feel I just made a bad version of a good poem...
But Somerset Maugham said, there is no way to translate a poem. Even he couldn't do it

I do miss good friends' visiting in a cold day, and having tea with tea friends!

And stormy_tea_cup, you got us very curious about the poem in your signature, which can't be seen!

I think that sounds quite lovely! Thank you for sharing it.


Stormy_Tea_Cup - signatures are NOT enabled on this forum, however they will show up on RSS feeds.

[Stormy_Tea_Cup]

Ok, how do I show my signature... I checked the "Attach Signature" box. Anyway, my favourite tea poem is called "The Tea Poem" and it was written by Lotung, a Tang dinasty poet. I found this poem in a book called "The Book of Tea" written by Okakura Kakuzo. Enjoy! Hope this thread grows and gains immortality , or at least inspire and guide people to some good readin' !

The first cup moistens my lips and throat, the second cup breaks my loneliness, the third cup searches my barren entrail but to find therein some five thousand volumes of odd ideographs.

The fourth cup raises a slight perspiration,--all the wrong of life passes away through my pores.

At the fifth cup I am purified; the sixth cup calls me to the realms of immortals.

The seventh cup--ah, but I could take no more!

I only feel the breath of cool wind that rises in my sleeves.

Where is the Horaisan?

Let me ride on this sweet breeze and waft away thither.

[Stormy_Tea_Cup]

You're signature's not showing up.

I'm partial to the "Seven Cups" poem. Or in this translation, Seven Bowls.

(copied from a teadrunk.org post courtesy of LaoChaGui):

"Song of Seven Cups" from the poem: "Taking Up the Pen to Thank Mèng Jiànyì for Sending New Tea"
by Lú Tóng of the Táng Dynasty

One bowl moistens the lips and throat;
Two bowls shatters loneliness and melancholy;
Three bowls, thinking hard, one produces five thousand volumes;
Four bowls, lightly sweating, the iniquities of a lifetime disperse towards the pores.
Five bowls cleanses muscles and tendons;
Six bowls accesses the realm of spirit;
One cannot finish the seventh bowl, but feels only a light breeze spring up under the arms.

《走笔谢孟谏议寄新茶》《七碗茶歌》唐 卢仝
zǒubǐ xiè Mèng Jiànyì jìxīnchá -- qīwǎnchágē Táng Lú Tóng
一碗喉吻润
yīwǎn hóuwěn rùn
二碗破孤闷
èrwǎn pò gūmèn
三碗搜枯肠,惟有文字五千卷
sānwǎn sōu kūcháng,wéiyǒu wénzì wǔqiānjuàn
四碗发轻汗,平生不平事尽向毛孔散
sìwǎn fā qīnghàn, píngshēng bùpíngshì jìnxiǎng máokǒng sàn
五碗肌骨清
wǔwǎn jīgǔ qīng
六碗通仙灵
liùwǎn tōng xiānlíng
七碗吃不得也,唯觉两腋习习清风生
qīwǎn chībùdéyě, wéijué liǎngyè xíxiqīngfēng shēng

Me and Drax have the same poem, I believe...

[Salsero]

Me and Drax have the same poem, I believe...

Same poem but quite a difference in translations! It's worth having both.

[Stormy_Tea_Cup]

Me and Drax have the same poem, I believe...

Same poem but quite a difference in translations! It's worth having both.

I just love the constructive approach. It is, I think, a part of The Way of the Tea - Cha No Yu (japanese). I thank you for the nice perspective in this matter.

[Drax]

It's a great poem, and great to see two different translations.

I've been looking for one "poem" -- it's more of a one-liner, but I can't seem to locate it. It's on some tea site somewhere (yes, very helpful, I know).

Something like "Whether one cup or two, the Buddha does not tell."

Anybody?

[Herb_Master]

Of course SevenCups teasite is based on the poem you both quote

[murrius]

Falling upon earth,
Pure water spills from the cup
of the camellia.

or:

Ochizama ni
Mizu koboshi keri
Hana tsubaki




Basho

[Herb_Master]

Brooke Bond Dividend Tea (1)
With former F1 world champion Jackie Stewart and his wife Helen

I like a nice cup of D in the morning
Just to start the day you see
And at half-past eleven
Well my idea of Heaven
Is a nice cup of D.
I like a nice cup of D with my dinner,
And a nice cup of D with my tea,
And when it’s time for bed,
There’s a lot to be said,
For a nice cup of D!

Based on the song " A Nice Cup of Tea" (Herbert / Sullivan)

[kymidwife]

There once was a Mt. Fuji Tea Cave
Where Japanese Greens were the rave
The man and his kittens
With Shincha were smitten
And the Spring Harvest is what they crave.

[Shelob]

There once was a Mt. Fuji Tea Cave
Where Japanese Greens were the rave
The man and his kittens
With Shincha were smitten
And the Spring Harvest is what they crave.

+ 2 Sarah!
By my last count, looks like he has 8+, but not sure
Some of the names, [yea, I searched his posts] are Pyrit, Wuloong, SweeTea, Precious, Koi, Gandalf, Teah.. guess I'll go back and look for more