Thag 18
Maha Kassapa Thera: At Home in the Mountains
(excerpt)
translated from the Pali by
Andrew Olendzki
Alternate translation: Thanissaro
Strung with garlands of flowering vines, This patch of earth delights the mind; The lovely calls of elephants sound — These rocky crags do please me so! The shimmering hue of darkening clouds, Cool waters in pure streams flowing; Enveloped by Indra's ladybugs — These rocky crags do please me so! Like the lofty peaks of looming clouds, Like the most refined of palaces; The lovely calls of tuskers sound — These rocky crags do please me so! The lovely ground is rained upon, The hills are full of holy seers; Resounding with the cry of peacocks — These rocky crags do please me so! Being clothed in flaxen flowers, As the sky is covered in clouds; Strewn with flocks of various birds — These rocky crags do please me so! Not occupied by village folk, But visited by herds of deer; Strewn with flocks of various birds — These rocky crags do please me so! With clear waters and broad boulders, Holding troops of monkey and deer; Covered with moist carpets of moss — These rocky crags do please me so! [But] there is not so much contentment For me in the five-fold music, As in truly seeing Dhamma With a well-concentrated mind.