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Image: Qixia Temple, Qixia Mountain, Nanjing, China
Image: Jing Xian 静贤 (gold) and Ma Yongbo 马永波 (black), Qixia Temple, Qixia Mountain, Nanjing
“I will be going to Qixia Mountain in the east of the city this morning to visit a poet monk with the name of Jing Xian, whose poetry and calligraphy are very good, and I have written a recommendation for his poetry collection. The Qixia Temple at the foot of the mountain is very famous and is a tourist attraction in Nanjing…you will visit it in future, maybe next year autumn”
Ma Yongbo, by WhatsApp to Helen Pletts, 29th May 2025.
nature reflecting poets Jing Xian and Ma Yongbo at Qixia Temple on Qixia Mountain
在栖霞山栖霞寺，自然将诗人静贤与马永波的身影
in still and silent water,
her face is a smoothed and flattened glass bead,
she is a sky-mirror,
a footpad for green and grey stone in a lion’s form
the stone growing grey fur as it sips from the water,
trusts the senses to overwhelm.
Calm stillness overflows in orange robes,
the mountain contains it’s own quiet blossoming,
the land has been sipping here, in immeasurable quiet dawns,
yet the measure of the sky is silence drawing an intake of still slow breath;
nature’s tendency to meditate.
Two poets combine their own breath,
speaking in mist and light,
one in robed gold reflecting back in ancient black brushstrokes,
one golden even in black; the golden pen dynamic
29th May 2025
Response Poetry By Helen Pletts 海伦·普莱茨
Response Poetry Translated by Ma Yongbo 马永波
在栖霞山栖霞寺，自然将诗人静贤与马永波的身影
nature reflecting poets Jing Xian and Ma Yongbo at Qixia Temple on Qixia Mountain
映照于寂然无声的水面，
她的面庞是一颗平滑的玻璃珠，
她是天空之镜，
是狮形青灰岩石的足垫
那岩石啜饮流水时生出灰色绒毛，
任凭感官将一切淹没。
橙黄的僧袍漫溢出沉静，
山峦自有其静谧的花开，
大地在此啜饮，在无数岑寂的黎明，
而天空的尺度是在沉默中吞吐缓慢悠长的气息；
那自然耽于冥想的禀性。
两位诗人气息相合，
在雾与光中交谈，
一位身披金袍，映现于古旧的墨痕，
一位身着玄衣，亦金光闪耀；金笔灵动。
2025年5月29日，海伦·普莱茨
Winter Mountain — To Monk Jing Xian
In winter, you just want to go up the mountain to see
that friend who cultivates on the mountain
He boils white stones to keep warm; when it rains
does he still feel a bit cold?
You just go to see
neither of you can help the other
but just seeing each other brings peace of mind
The waterfall is gone, silent, empty
yet your heart remains unempty
The valley echoes with your cries
the him you want to see is higher up
In life, one must always be busy with something, right?
What? Sutras, turning green then yellow
you come and go, but the mountain
remains the same mountain
November 21, 2022
By Ma Yongbo 马永波
Translated By Ma Yongbo 马永波
冬山——寄静贤法师
冬天你就想上山看看
那在山上修炼的朋友
他煮白石取暖，有雨的时候
还是会感觉有点冷吧
你也只是看看
你们谁也帮不了谁
但看看，就安心了
瀑布没有了，静了，空了
你的心还是不空
山谷回荡着你的呼声
你想看到的他在更高处
活着，总得忙点什么吧
什么呢，经卷，绿了又黄
你来了又去，山
始终还是那座山
2022.11.21
Image: Jing Xian 静贤 (gold) Ma Yongbo 马永波 (black) walking around Qixia Temple
Chinese Baido link about Qixia Temple here 👇
Qixia Temple (simplified Chinese: 栖霞寺; traditional Chinese: 棲霞寺; pinyin: Qīxiá Sì) is a Buddhist temple located on Qixia Mountain in the suburban Qixia District of Nanjing, Jiangsu, 22 kilometres (14 mi) northeast of downtown Nanjing. It is one of Nanjing’s most important Buddhist monasteries. The temple is the cradle of East Asian Mādhyamaka.
Image: Qixia Temple, Qixia Mountain
Image: Qixia Temple, Qixia Mountain
Image: Mingjing Lake, Qixia Temple, Qixia Mountain
Image: Information about Mingjing Lake, Qixia Temple, Qixia Mountain
Image: Golden Lotus, Qixia Temple, QixiaMountain, the calligraphy above is by Master Jing Xian 静贤
gold-sound resounding easily within a lotus—for Yongbo
金声在莲心轻响
—written after seeing a short video of a gold lotus temple bell, rung by a fountain, filmed by Yongbo who was visiting Master Jing Xian on Qixia Mountain
her tall petals preserve a wall-carved story.
Sound edges its way along the gleaming curve
of gold sound, threading, lingering inside the lotus,
water stepping gently over vowel sounds continuously,
gold holds the treasured tale of the mountain pen.
Light and poetry outlasting in a golden lotus bowl,
light has so many surfaces at once;
she chooses them all
4th June 2025,
Response Poetry by Helen Pletts 海伦·普莱茨
Response Poetry Translated By Ma Yongbo 马永波
金声在莲心轻响
gold-sound resounding easily within a lotus—for Yongbo
——观永波拜访栖霞山静贤法师时所摄视频有感，视频中喷泉叩响金莲花寺钟
她高挑的花瓣保存着刻在墙上的故事
声波沿着鎏金的弧光攀爬
在莲花深处穿针引线，萦绕不去
水波轻踏绵绵不绝的元音
金箔封存着山间笔墨的传奇
光与诗在金莲盏中永恒伫立
光的棱面同时盛开千万种姿态
她一一采撷
2025年6月4日，海伦·普莱茨
https://youtube.com/shorts/tWk2dTa_7pw?si=4ECip_xoyPeVtsgD
the short video of the gold lotus temple bell here:
https://youtube.com/shorts/tWk2dTa_7pw?si=4ECip_xoyPeVtsgD
Three poems of Jing Xian 静贤 translated by Ma Yongbo 马永波
Published on Sindh Courier here:
https://sindhcourier.com/you-and-i-poetry-from-china/
Jing Xian 静贤 is a teacher at Qixia Mountain Branch of the Chinese Buddhist Academy, Editor-in-Chief of Mojingtai (Mirror-Grinding Platform) of Hunan Nanyue Buddhist Association, Editor-in-Chief of international magazine Wordy Seon, and Vice President of Zhejiang East Buddhist Culture Research Institute. he holds a Master’s degree in Philosophy from Renmin University of China.
He has published over 100 poems, essays, and academic papers. he has participated in compiling and editing more than ten works, including Ten Years Grinding a Mirror (Religious Culture Press, 2020), History of Nanyue Buddhism (Religious Culture Press, 2021), and Lineage of the Nanshan School.
静贤，中国佛学院栖霞山分院教师，湖南南岳佛教协会《磨镜台》主编、国际期刊《文字禅》主编，浙江省浙东佛教文化研究院副院长，中国人民大学哲学硕士。曾发表诗歌、散文、论文百余篇（首）；参与整理、主编《十年磨一镜》（宗教文化出版社，2020年)、《南岳佛教史》（宗教文化出版社，2021年）及《南山宗统》等著作十余部。
You and I
we sit in the courtyard under an ancient tree
two people, two cushions, and a Buddha statue
from the mountains, stray cats meow and dogs bark now and then
The wind moves the banners,
and grass and trees dance
You and I, quietly discussing conversion
exploring the subtle meanings in the vast sea of Dharma
We sit on cushions, on the earth of Saha in China,
yet also in another world beyond this form.
By Jing Xian 静贤
Translated By Ma Yongbo 马永波
你和我 静贤
我们坐在古树下的院子里
两个人，两个蒲团，和一尊佛像
山里不时传来流浪的猫叫，犬吠
风吹幡动，草木飘舞
你和我，安静地谈论着皈依
探寻法海真源里的微妙义理
我们坐在蒲团上，坐在娑婆中的神州大地
同时也坐在这种形式之外的另一个世界
First published 2nd June 2025 in ‘Sindh Courier’ by Editor, Nasir Aijaz
See Ma Yongbo Poetry Road Trip Volume 10 for Nasir Aijaz’s Bio https://internationaltimes.it/ma-yongbo-poetry-road-trip-summer-tour-2025-volume-10/
The Years Pass Slowly
A empty mountain, a small temple, a babbling stream
for long periods, no one comes in sight
only wind and cicadas’ songs are heard
If you’re used to city life,
it’s hard to adapt to this mountain scene
Perhaps life’s been too easy lately,
I suddenly recall Camus’ words:
We need no one walking ahead
no leading, nor following behind
nor even walking side by side
solitary, unrestrained souls
can both unite and gaze afar
By Jing Xian 静贤
Translated By Ma Yongbo 马永波
岁月慢得很 静贤
山空，寺小，流水潺潺
岁月慢得很，长时间不见有人
只听见风声和蝉鸣
你要在城市待惯了，到此山中来
难免有些不适应
或许近来太安逸了，意外想起加缪
他说不需要有人走在前面，我们不要被引领
也不需要有人走在后面，我们不要被追随
我们甚至不需要并肩同行
孤独不羁的灵魂既可以联手，也可以遥望
First published 2nd June 2025 in ‘Sindh Courier’ by Editor, Nasir Aijaz
In the Empty Mountain, Listening to Rain
Newborn puppies huddle for warmth in the autumn rain
the mountain wind blows fiercely and unceasingly
A small temple nestled in the mountain hollow
stands alone, guarding the void
Having recited the Ksitigarbha Sutra
my mind is at peace, able to hear the breath of the other shore
As night falls, the prayer flags before the door
rattle in the wind, proclaiming the coming of autumn
In the layers of night’s curtains
raindrops are filled with Zen meaning, pure and selfless
At this moment, undisturbed
it is time to strike the evening bell
By Jing Xian 静贤
Translated By Ma Yongbo 马永波
空山听雨 静贤
刚出生的小狗在秋雨里抱团取暖
山风勇猛精进地吹
栖身在空山坳里的小庙
兀自守着虚空
诵完《地藏经》
心神很安宁，可以聆听彼岸的呼吸
夜黑了，门前的经幡因风作响
呐喊着天气晚来秋
在重重帘幕的夜色里
雨珠挂满了禅意，纯粹而无私
此刻没有人打扰
该敲晚钟了
First published 2nd June 2025 in ‘Sindh Courier’ by Editor, Nasir Aijaz
Image: Ma Yongbo and Helen Pletts 30th May 2025
“We have never met but these images that we shared of ourselves were taken on the same day and it looks like the trees are joining. We have a shared sense of humour” Helen Pletts, 31st July 2025
Cambridge Independent Interview with Helen Pletts by Adrian Peel
Ma Yongbo 马永波 (b1964), https://mayongbopoetry.wordpress.com/ has 9 published poetry collections. He is representative of Chinese avant-garde poetry, the founder of polyphonic writing and objectified poetics. He is the main poet-translator of Western postmodern poetry on the mainland, including Dickinson, Whitman, Stevens, Pound, Williams and Ashbery. Collected Poems of Ma Yongbo (four volumes, Eastern Publishing Centre, 2024) comprising 1600 poems, celebrate 40 years of writing poetry.
Helen Pletts海伦·普莱茨 : (www.helenpletts.com) Shortlisted 5 times for Bridport Poetry Prize 2018, 2019, 2022, 2023 and 2024, twice longlisted for The Rialto Nature & Place 2018 and 2022, longlisted for the Ginkgo Prize 2019, longlisted for The National Poetry Competition 2022. 2nd prize Plaza Prose Poetry 2022-23. Shortlisted Plaza Prose Poetry 2023-24. English co-translator of Ma Yongbo. Her poetry is translated into Chinese, Bangla, Vietnamese, Greek, Italian, Arabic, Romanian and Korean.
All images under individual copyright © to either Ma Yongbo 马永波 or Helen Pletts 海伦·普莱茨
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