Rootless_Tree_24Chapter#h4・Enlarged image of the painting
Enlarged image of the poem below as Xieyi
Appendix IV
▶Original Text
無根樹，花正鮮，咬定根苗莫怠懶。勞心力，歷苦煎，七返九還見自然。
鳳採丹花啼五色，龍銜寶珠弄九天。煉真仙，跨龍船，笑傲風塵不計年。
▶Modern Translation
The flower blooming on the rootless tree is fresh. Firmly chew root and seedling—do not neglect.
Exhaust heart and strength, endure hardship. After seven reversals and nine returns, the Dao’s form appears.
The phoenix picks the red cinnabar flower and sings in five colors. The dragon carries the precious pearl and roams the nine heavens.
Forge the true immortal. Ride the dragon boat. Laugh at the dusty world, counting not the years.
▶Interpretation
• “Seven reversals, nine returns” = repeated cycles of refinement.
• Phoenix and dragon represent divine forces in harmony.
▶Interpretation related to Tai Chi
This is the culmination of Tai Chi training: unconscious movement, pure integration.
Freed from time, one dances in harmony with the Dao, untouched by worldly dust.
Copyright © MASAKI WAKABAYASHI. All rights reserved.
