The public edition and the new VIP chapter have both been updated today. Please forgive all the poetry. :)
"Savoring an Immortal Affinity"
＊Mo Qi Ju＊
(2006-6-18)
I had seen it in the legends of Shushan,
And heard it in the songs of the Sword Immortal,
Ethereal, elusive,
With the clarity and quiet purity of water,
And the bracing sweetness of wine.
One taste of immortal affinity, and a kindred soul met at the ends of the earth,
Another ascent of Spirit Mountain, where mist and rain veiled all in bewilderment.
Waves rose, the Turtle-Snake stirred,
The youth's blue robe vanished into the wind,
What remained
Was the wistfulness of water at heaven's heart and the moon aboard the boat,
Half a scroll of poetry, half a scroll of dreams,
Flowers breathed their fragrance upon me; the gentle chill still carried the scent of wine,
Even if it was only a Yellow Millet Dream,
Only unadorned words held a fragrance that had yet to fade.
They all said sages and worthies were lonely,
That was because
Too many eyes chose the rare comfort of feigned ignorance,
Unable to understand the painstaking heart of Lao-Zhuang.
And you, who feigned madness in Heaven in the Pot,
When you woke again,
Drifting clouds filled your eyes; you had long since drunk your fill of the Three Rivers.
Wine could intoxicate, but love still more,
Since there was no escaping the red dust of the mortal world,
Rest content within it, and with a lifetime's love,
Slowly savor the lingering tenderness of lovers.
What did cultivating immortality mean in this world?
To rise beyond the mundane and forget the self
Was surely the mark of an immortal,
Leaning against the railing, smiling at a page of absurdities.
One song along the immortal road,