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The Clouds Should Know Me By Now: Buddhist Poet Monks of China |  | Creators: Red Pine, Mike O'Connor, Red Pine, Burton Watson, J.P Seaton, James Sanford, Paul Hanson
Publisher: Wisdom Publications
Category: Book
List Price: $15.95
Buy New: $9.21
as of 9/7/2010 05:01 CDT details
You Save: $6.74 (42%)
Seller: allnewbooks
Rating:  5 reviews
Media: Paperback
Edition: illustrated edition
Pages: 224
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 9 x 5.9 x 0.7
ISBN: 0861711432
Dewey Decimal Number: 895.10080922943
EAN: 9780861711437
Publication Date: November 1, 1998
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com Review
Gary Snyder brought the Chinese Zen poet Han-Shan (Cold Mountain) to prominence through translations that struck a cord with Zen enthusiasts and back-to-nature mystics alike. Now Red Pine, Mike O'Connor, and four other translators have breathed life into the literary descendants of Han-Shan, poet monks who are most at home in misty hills, contemplating "crimson leaves" and "azure depths." Like its Japanese cousin, the haiku, Chinese Zen poetry conveys pregnant images in spare structures that cascade into layers of emotion and rich associations. The Buddhism itself lies offstage, the poems recalling more of Thoreau or Whitman than Hui-neng or Nagarjuna. The translations here pause and flow like the originals, with poet-painter Paul Hansen's renderings of early Sung monks especially brilliant, outshining even the celebrated Burton Watson's translations of the Tang poet Ch'i Chi. For that trip to your mountain hermitage or when simply hiding out in the backyard, you'll find sure companionship in The Clouds Should Know Me By Now. --Brian Bruya
Product Description
This unique collection presents the verses, much of it translated for the first time, of fourteen eminent Chinese Buddhist poet monks. Featuring the original Chinese as well as English translations and historical introductions by Burton Watson, J.P. Seaton, Paul Hansen, James Sanford, and the editors, The Clouds Should Know Me By Now provides an appreciation and understanding of this elegant and traditional expression of spirituality.
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| Customer Reviews:
 Amazing and absolutely essential to one's library May 27, 2009
Nyghtingale (Gilroy, CA USA)
This book represents the not-so-usual suspects in the genre of buddhist poetry. precise, yet delicate images, dynamic voices, translators who practice the way, this combination results not merely in translated verses, they are verses translating lives, works of art, acts of reverence.
A quiet morning, a cup of oolong tea, and this book July 24, 2005
Andrew Beaulac (Whidbey Island, WA USA)
10 out of 11 found this review helpful
Red Pine, Mike O'Connor, and four other translators have opened for us the world of the literary descendants of Han-Shan, poet monks who are most at home in misty hills, wandering with the rivers, enjoying tea over a fire of leaves. Like Japanese haiku, Chinese Zen poetry evokes imagination and layers of depth with the sparest of poetic structures. The poets' Buddhism is not put on show or even obvious; it quietly underlies their love of nature, their deep connectedness, their insight into the human experience of being alive.
A ten page introduction by Andrew Schelling provides the historical, cultural, religious, and philosophical backdrops for these poets. Then you let your imagine meander through the poems of Chia Tao (779-843), Chi-chi (864-937), The Nine Monks and Chih Yuan (late 10th century), Han-shan Te-ch'ing (1546-1623), Shih-shu (late 17th century) and Ching An (1851-1912). Each section is comprised of an introduction to the poet and his context, the poems, and helpful notes. I appreciate the very helpful Index of First Lines provided at the end of the book, as well as the information about the contributors.
one of my favourite books of chinese poetry September 18, 2002
17 out of 19 found this review helpful
this collection is an excellent introduction for people who get turned on by the idea of monks living in the mountains, writing poetry, sleeping, drinking wine, writing poetry, sleeping, drinking wine et al. i highly recommend it to people who love buddhism, poetry, or chinese culture. the added bonus is the chinese text. i've been so impressed with anything associated with bill porter a.k.a. red pine that i've bought all of his translations. the translations included here are better and in many cases vastly superior to anything else out there.
 Shipshape and Unsurprising February 18, 2002
Thomas F. Ogara (Jacksonville, FL USA)
11 out of 20 found this review helpful
Middling collection of Chinese Buddhist poems; I didn't feel that there were any hidden gems here, not on the level of Han Shan.The original Chinese text accompanies the translations, however, which is something that I find pleasing, and presumably you will too, if you are into the language.
 A wonderful book of poetry March 23, 1999
whiltz@mindspring.com (Memphis, Tennesse, USA)
16 out of 20 found this review helpful
Wisdom Publications has done it again: another lovely book that brings out the best in an Eastern tradition. The tradition this time is the poetry of Chinese Buddhist monks, and in this volume there are a number of moving and sublime examples of their craft. The poems are presented with visual elegance and an unobtrusive scholarship that makes the volume even more noteworthy. My only objection stems from the organization of the book, wherein six different contributors each choose a poet or group of poets to translate and present. I am not knowledgable enough to know whether it is the fault of the original poets or that of the translators, but the poems in one section really fall flat, and another section is also somewhat below the high state of excellence achieved by the others. But really, this is a minor complaint. The vast majority of these poems will appeal greatly to those who are attracted to this sort of poetry, and the volume over all is very pleasing.
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