One Thought, a Mortal Life · Stubborn and Foolish by Nature · 56 / 102
· Playing Against Myself
Into the mood: I spread out a wind-stirred splendor, gather my breath and — nothing here is easily won. The pleasure is in it, waiting to break the rules. All my life I have hated being scattered east and west, and would have Heaven gather every matter into one.
Overturned: change upon change, nothing constant — one's own nature was always hard to refuse. Borneol sharpens the mind; inside the game, a world of illusion, and I lay my plans and set things in order. Old days grown distant, far-off days come round again; a new waking, quiet and unbroken, follows the welcome rain.
Glosses—
飐 [zhǎn]: to shake and tremble in the wind;
Borneol: also called dragon's-brain incense, or bingpian;
New waking: having just woken from sleep, or a fresh understanding;
Quiet and unbroken: having the look of stillness;
The welcome rain: rain that falls just when the crops most need water.
*This piece is an original work. If you repost it, please credit the original author Shixi Lin; any infringement, once discovered, will be pursued for legal liability. In addition, the accompanying illustration comes from the internet and belongs to its original artist, Yichui Wuyue.