山村訓長但知覓

A cyber-fellow whom the Sanchon Hunjang can't really claim to know apparently recently took a trip with another cyber diarist to 영주. Specifically, Floating Rock Temple 浮石寺 부석사. Now the Sanchon Hunjang has never been there, so I have no memories to bore you with, but his photo of someone's rendition of 退溪 퇴계 (1501~1570 here's his most famous likeness)'s poem on 부석사 was an attention grabber.

浮石寺 聚遠樓 鄭湖陰 贈僧韻 [Poem on] Gathering-the-Distant Loftbuilding at Floating Rock Temple with rhyme words Borrowed from Chŏng Saryong (Hoŭm "Shady Lake")'s poem "Given to a Monk"

鬼役天成萬古樓 The spirits 鬼 employed 役^*) heaven 天 to form 成^**) the loftbuilding 樓 of the ages 萬古;
風雲一任洗新秋 Wind 風 and clouds 雲 together 一 charged with 任 cleaning 洗 the new 新 autumn 秋.
夜深獨對高僧榻 The night 夜 is deep 沈, alone 獨 I face 對 the high 高 bonze 僧 bench 榻--
唯見長空月似鉤 [I] only 唯 see 見 the long 長 void 空 [and] the moon 月 that [looks] like 似 a fishhook 鉤.

※ Italics mark rhyming words.

Notes:

*) 役: it seems unlikely to me to see 作 twice in one line. The calligrapher seems to have written 役, so I'm guessing that the online 퇴계집's OCR software or inputter (well, okay this latter case is less likely) has mistaken 作 for 役.

**) Or "build 作," depending on which version you choose to believe, as the internet version has slightly different wording than has been captured in the photograph. But this kind of minor variation in wording between texts is common.

Unfortunately the Gathering-the-distant Loftbuilding, which was located on a hill in 경남 의령군 의령읍 정암리 during the middle part of the Chosŏn, has disappeared. Fortunately a new loftbuilding, 정암루, was built on the same site in 1935, so that midnight luna-gazers can still get their fill of crisp autumn air and pleasant moonscapes. Behold 정암루 at night:



Pleasant enough, no?

If the spirit of poetry does a little employing of its own on you and you can't help but dash off a few verses, another internet diary, is inviting seasonal poetry entries...

Best hurry, though, it's quickly getting cold!