Classical Korean Poem in Chinese

山僧貪月色
幷汲一甁中
倒寺方應覺
甁傾月亦空
　 

The Moon in a Well

    Yi Gyu-bo (1168-1241)

 An acolyte craving the moonlight in a well
 Draws water with it into a carafe.
 Yet back to the temple, he should see,
 Tilting the jar, the moon be gone as well.

        Trans by Jeo­Yong Noh

- A Note on the Poet

   Yi Gyu-bo was born into a very turbulent period of Korean history; throughout his life, Koryo Kingdom was threatened by the northern barbarian tribes, while the kingdom itself was suffering from the on-going struggle for power between the civil and military factions in the bureaucracy. After passing the civil examination during the reign of King Myeong Jong in 1189, he had served a variety of local and governmental high-ranking posts. In his later years, he was converted to Buddhism.