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Incense Culture
Here is a refined and culturally faithful English translation:
Mencius’ Love of Incense
Mencius loved incense and once said:
“Fragrance is something the human spirit naturally desires; though it cannot grant immortality, it nurtures longevity.”
He not only appreciated incense, but also articulated its deeper meaning,
believing that humanity’s fondness for fragrance transcends the physical realm
and arises from an innate need of human nature itself.
Tu Long of the Ming Dynasty wrote：
The use of incense yields little material benefit,
yet for those who dwell beyond worldly concerns—
seated in quiet discourse on virtue and the Way,
burning incense clears the mind and delights the spirit.
In the deep night, beneath a waning moon,
when thoughts turn refined and solitary,
burning incense opens the heart and frees the breath in song.
By a bright window with books laid out,
brushing away dust and吟詠 verse;
by a warm lamp reading late into the night,
incense is burned to ward off drowsiness—
a companion to moonlit antiquity.
With a crimson sleeve at one’s side,
whispering private words, hands entwined in gentle closeness,
incense is burned to warm the heart and stir affection—
a subtle aid to romance.
When rain and dust seal the windows,
after a restful midday nap,
sitting down to practice calligraphy, sipping plain tea,
a newly warmed censer releases rich, drifting fragrance—
most fitting to revive guests sobered from wine.
On a clear night beneath a bright moon,
fingers pluck icy strings,
a long whistle echoes through empty towers,
eyes roam distant blue mountains;
as the censer’s warmth lingers,
soft clouds of incense curl faintly around the curtains.
Moreover, incense dispels evil and purifies the unclean.
According to the moment and its needs,
there is nowhere its use does not belong.
Tu Long of the Ming Dynasty wrote:
The use of incense yields little material benefit,
yet for those who dwell beyond worldly concerns—
seated in quiet discourse on virtue and the Way,
burning incense clears the mind and delights the spirit.
In the deep night, beneath a waning moon,
when thoughts turn refined and solitary,
burning incense opens the heart and frees the breath in song.
By a bright window with books laid out,
brushing away dust and吟詠 verse;
by a warm lamp reading late into the night,
incense is burned to ward off drowsiness—
a companion to moonlit antiquity.
With a crimson sleeve at one’s side,
whispering private words, hands entwined in gentle closeness,
incense is burned to warm the heart and stir affection—
a subtle aid to romance.
When rain and dust seal the windows,
after a restful midday nap,
sitting down to practice calligraphy, sipping plain tea,
a newly warmed censer releases rich, drifting fragrance—
most fitting to revive guests sobered from wine.
On a clear night beneath a bright moon,
fingers pluck icy strings,
a long whistle echoes through empty towers,
eyes roam distant blue mountains;
as the censer’s warmth lingers,
soft clouds of incense curl faintly around the curtains.
Moreover, incense dispels evil and purifies the unclean.
According to the moment and its needs,
there is nowhere its use does not belong.
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