Climbing Taihang Mountain,
On the green winding way.
The jade-lined trail in fog,
Floral scents from the gray.
Stuck in unflowing time,
'Til a song sung bright and gay...
I'm steered back to my past
With the grace of ghosts at play.
Skirting roiling waters,
A Roc soars after prey.
The Tao is unbounded --
Round or square as it may.
NOTE: The late Tang Dynasty poet, Sikong Tu (a.k.a. Ssŭ-k‘ung T‘u,) wrote an ars poetica entitled Twenty-Four Styles of Poetry. It presents twenty-four poems that are each in a different tone, reflecting varied concepts from Taoist philosophy and aesthetics. Above is a crude translation of the seventeenth of the twenty-four poems. This poem’s Chinese title is 委曲, and has been translated as: “Grievance” and “In Tortuous Ways.”
Tiger Riding for Beginners 
why do you call it “a crude translation”?
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These are my first cuts at these poems in a learning process. My understanding of Chinese, let alone the language, culture, and experience of living of Tang Dynasty China, is quite limited. So, there is no doubt that I miss Sikong Tu’s intention greatly on occasion and minutely always. Hence, crude.
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thanks for explaining🙏🏼it makes sense, though i did thoroughly enjoy your version.
i did get the Sikong Tu book & enjoy it. got the good version, non-rhyming.
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The original (Chinese) version is rhymed with even lines all in one rhyme.
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