Life in the Wild
Sitting quietly in a small room.
Outside the window, everything is lush green.
Distant mountains, trees close by, green grass and flowers,
A feeling of happiness, both peaceful and ordinary,
In this secluded mountain forest.
There is no sense of time passing.
Only now,
Have I matured enough to enjoy this kind of plainly ordinary life,
Having understood my own averageness,
And no longer worrying about running out of talent,
Doing a little when the body and mind allows, making the best of whatever is available.
What looks like a life of seclusion from the world and isolation from others.
Nevertheless really doesn't feel lonely,
It feels like I am also a silent animal,
United with the many wild beings around.
________
As night falls,
The full moon leaps out suddenly from the mountain range in the east.
A goose-yellow shine colors the misty atmosphere,
The rolling hills, under the moonlight’s care,
Reflect a shimmer of great beauty, quietness, and secrecy.
My shadow casts lightly on the path where I wander.
Somewhat later.
The fog that rises from the valley gently draws up the mountains,
And merges with the clouds in the sky,
The moon is more hazy.
And faraway mountains, then
Languidly swing in the moon's faint watery light.
________
A scorching heat wave.
The whole universe longs for a bout of the rain’s moist showering
And as hoped, a few loud thunderclaps,
Then the rain pours down in an instant.
Birds who inhabit the woods take turns to rush through the rain screen,
Beating their wings and flying up and down, their calls like thunder.
I look at them shuttling excitedly between the trees,
Rejoicing and chasing in the midst of the downpour,
And I feel contaminated by their wild ecstasy.
________
By now.
The sense of abundance and happiness in life.
Can't be separated
With working on the land.
________
This year, I started to feel nourished by the garden.
Spring starts with bamboo shoots, plums and prunes,
Then in summer passion fruit, guavas, papayas and bananas,
In late fall, I pick kumquats, tangerines, roselle, and figs,
It is also the busiest jam season,
In winter, after digging up ginger and turmeric, I can have a rest.
When cooking, I pick a few pea flowers, osmanthus, or honeysuckle flowers,
Add some perilla, basil, or plums pickled in vinegar.
Then stir-fry a dish of herbs and wild vegetables that grow unattended on the ground.
The most ordinary, rustic meal
Contains a touch of improvised abundance, wildness, and beauty.
I often unconsciously go out to wander around the garden, standing still to look at it.
A beautiful and satisfying, eatable and enjoyable botanical garden,
With nourishment for the soul and comfort for the stomach.
The attention focused on sweeping fallen leaves, sawing wood and cutting grass, or making jam,
Is the same as in writing or painting.
Ah, I love this kind of life!
________
This orchard of life,
This soil and these plants, all have their own ideas.
Rather than being the master of the garden,
One is more like its helper.
We are all very free,
I plant what I want, they grow what they want.
And we don't impose on each other,
But rather follow each other's wishes and abilities.
We eat whatever grows.
It's good if there is something, but it doesn’t matter if there is nothing.
When I am around, I do my best,
When I am not there, nature operates freely.
Truly good, this orchard of freedom!
2019