I Ching Poetry

When you talk about Heaven and the World
It is as if I am listening to the numinous turtle itself.

Mystery upon mystery, unknown to men,
One by one, you clarify for me.

From the autumn moon issues the white night;
A cool breeze rhymes harmoniously with the clear source.

Through experimentation, swiftly we reach the vast;
Spirits resonating in silence, with no display of words.

A sudden awakening dissolves ten thousand tangles;
Evening thoughts pour out the troubles of the morning.

The traveler's boat resists stopping on the waves,
And the tethered horse neighs at the departing carriage.

We are dedicated and sincere men of the thicket
Who truly understand each other.


-From Tang Dynasty poet Meng Jiao, entitled "To the Hermit Yin, my Teacher of the I Ching, on the eve of his return to seclusion".