Where I Found Lots to Like

Zen Poems by Peter Harris
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Some of the poets in this collection are ones that have caught my eye before, so I picked it up and read it in bits in pieces over time. I have no more than a passing interest in things zen, and so, not surprisingly, it wasn't entirely up my alley, but I found a lot that was both interesting and meaningful to me. Those are the poems I happily added to my hand-copied collection.

I don't respond to everything here; not all of it is for me is a better way to phrase it, I suppose. But I found lots to like. I especially enjoy the nature poems--thick forests, mountain paths, rushing streams, and distant temple bells--but I'm almost as fond of the recluse poems--old scholars living in a hut, reading their books of poetry (hmmm...) and tending their gardens (hmmm... again) and drinking wine. (So close! Are there any coffee poems?)

Here's an example of the nature vibe by the poet Hanshan (or "Cold Mountain") with a touch of the recluse in it:

Clambering up the Cold Mountain path,
The Cold Mountain trail goes on and on:
The long gorge choked with scree and boulders,
The wide creek, the mist-blurred grass.
The moss is slippery, though there's been no rain
The pine sings, but there's no wind.
Who can leap the world's ties
And sit with me among the white clouds?

Nice. :)

The other benefit of a collection like this is finding a few more names to track down elsewhere. This book led me to at least half a dozen authors I'll enjoy finding somewhere else. So it's small, and even though I don't love everything it still packs a pretty good punch.

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