The monastery, under whose ancient shadow
Sits a silent monk

Prayers, faint like distant thunders
Small sins gathering, like rain in the valley

A row of sparrows settles on the eaves
Like a soul after another soul waiting to be delivered

And sunlight pierces into the grand hall
In an instant, dust cements into large pillars

At dusk, I finally see the thick canopy of a ginkgo
Under a rain cloud about to break

♦

From The Ruins: Poems by Ye Hui, translation © 2025 by Dong Li. Reprinted with permission from Deep Vellum Publishing. 

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