2月18日

去年貧
唐 香嚴智閑 ( ?~898 )

去年貧未是貧，今年貧始是貧，
去年貧猶有卓錐之地，今年貧錐也無。

──選自《聯燈會要》

February 18th

Last Year's Poverty
Xiangyan Zhixian ( ? - 898, Tang Dynasty)
English translation: Miao Guang

Last year's poverty was never so,
    only this year's is.
Last year's poverty may put you in a position,
    this year's will give no foothold at all.

── from Liandeng Huiyao
(Collection of Essential Material of the Chan School's
Successive Records of the Lamp)