'陸游 六月十四日宿東林寺 translation: Staying at Donglin Monastery on June 14th, by Lu You'
](http://www.flickr.com/photos/derekrogerson/1182584727/)陸游 (Lu You), style name 务观 (Wu Guan), is one of the most famous poets of the Song dynasty. He was born in the state of Yue, modern-day Wuxi, and wrote his first poem at the age of twelve.
He traveled widely and many of his poems relate to his separation from his brother, 和子 (He Zi). This particular poem refers to a trip to Dong Lin (Eastern forest) monastery, a place he had visited once before.
Lu You laments the fact that he has traveled to so many places and seen so many things that the large Yun Meng lake seems tiny to him. He imagines that he can see all the way to distant states (Xi Sai refers to modern-day Dunhuang, which was not part of the Song empire) while still being able to hear the nearby bells.
六月十四日宿東林寺 Liùyuè Shísìrì Sù Dōnglín Sì [six] [month] [ten] [four] [day] [stay] [East] [Forest] [monastery] Staying at Donglin Monastery on June 14th
看盡江湖千萬峰， Kàn jǐn jiānghú qiānwàn fēng, [see] [fully] [rivers] [lakes] [one] [million] [peaks] As far as the eye can see are rivers, lakes and a multitude of mountain peaks,
不嫌雲夢芥吾胸。 bù xián yún mèng jiè wú xiōng. [not] [dislike] [Cloud] [Dream] [mustard] [my] [bosom] But to me, Yun Meng lake is as small as a mustard seed.
戲招西塞山前月， Xì zhāo xi sāi shān qiányuè, [play] [beckon] [Xi] [Sai] [mountain] [front] [moon] I imagine I can see the moon rise over the mountains in the kingdoms of Xi and Sai,
來聽東林寺裡鍾。 lái tīng dōng línsì li zhōng. [come] [hear] [East] [Forest] [monastery] [inside] [bell] While hearing the bell in Dong Lin monastery.
遠客豈知今再到， Yuǎn kè qǐ zhī jīn zài dào, distant traveller how know today again arrive How could I have known that I would travel this way again?
老僧能記昔相逢。 lǎo sēng néng jì xī xiāngféng. [old] [monk] [can] [remember] [past] [mutually] [come] [across] The old monks can remember our past meeting.
虛窗熟睡誰驚覺， Xū chuāng shúshuì shuí jīng jué, [empty] [window] [hot] [sleep] [who] [wakeful] Who is it that I can hear through the ajar window, startling me from sleep?
野碓無人夜自舂。 yě duì wúrén yè zì chōng. [wild] [pestle] [without] [person] [night] [self] [pound] There is no one outside at the pestle and mortar; at night it grinds itself.
