Nan-in, the sage, one day received
A guest who'd come in search of wisdom.
He poured him tea, but when the cup
Was overfull, he kept on pouring.
Observing this, the hasty guest,
A haughty doctor stuffed with lore,
No longer could restrain himself:
Stop, stop, he yelled, oh can't you see?
The cup is overfilled with tea!
Just like this cup, Nan-in replied,
You're full of your own certitudes.
Without an empty cup, my friend,
How can you wisdom comprehend?
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
There is a strange hypnotic quality to your writing that makes one want to keep reading :) Really nice write!