中英文对照：离别的茶味

宋代诗人说：“味浓香永，醉乡路，成佳境。恰如灯下故人，万里归来对影。口不能言，心下快活自省”。

The taste is rich and the aroma lasts forever.
The way leading to intoxication
Is the most enjoyable state,
Just like an old friend returning home
From thousands of miles away --
Sitting face to face under a lamp,
Seeing the shadows close up,
No words,
Only happiness known in both hearts.

茶是清心凝神的饮品，融合了各地的风土、水文与 山灵的神韵。茶是好友相会时，知心共醉的心灵之水。我一向只知茶的肤泽、茶的姿态、茶的神韵与茶的妙趣，其实还不是个懂得茶心的人。茶好比人，也有喜怒哀 乐、也有种种执著；茶好比一面明镜，人的情绪与思绪无不真实地反映在茶味上。

The above is a poem from the Song dynasty. Tea is a beverage that clears hearts and minds and improves concentration. It integrates the essences of customs, water systems, and the mountains of a specific locale. Tea is the water of the soul that one shares with close friends. I know the luster of tea, the customs, the charm, and the subtlety of tea. Actually, I don’t really know the soul of tea. Like human beings, tea also has sentiments like happiness, anger, sadness, and joy as well as many attachments. Tea is like a mirror; the taste of tea can reflect people’s emotions and thoughts.

我写下：“昨夜归来人不见，独饮佳茗茶似酒，酒入愁肠摧心肺，茶到别离苦更多。”这是一个灵敏的茶心，在清心神静的时分，照见情感似烟云般逐渐化去。茶心就是觉察的心，看见自己的心，就看见茶的生命。离别的茶味里，我领悟了更深一层的茶心。

Reflecting on tea inspired me to write:

Returning home last night,
The expected one absent,
I drank my good tea alone
And found it tasted like wine.
While wine can wreck your heart
When filled with sadness,
Tea tastes more bitter
When friends are absent.

A sensitive heart tastes the soul of the tea. When drinking tea with a clean and quiet heart, the tea reflects the gradual disappearance of sentiments. The soul of tea is the heart of discovery. If you see your heart, you see the life of the tea. Tasting tea during a time of separation, I understood the soul of tea more deeply.

您 也可以看看自己的内心，那里有你自己的东西。茶道的深层涵义也就是“察道”，藉着茶道精神，人们彼此检查自己的内心，这也就是一种修炼的形式了。心纯净 了，茶的滋味也就纯正了，再以一颗善心，泡一壶茶与来者分享，让对方也静下心来向内心察一察，这也就是一种很好的文明形式。

You may also look inward at your heart where you store your private thoughts. The deeper meaning of the tea ceremony is “discovering the Dao.” Through the spirit of the tea ceremony, people detect their inner souls. This is also a way of cultivation. If the soul is clear, the taste of the tea is pure. Make a pot of tea with a compassionate heart, offer it to your guests, and let them check their inner hearts. This is civilization at its best.

茶在中国能够流传几千年，并不光是靠现代人所说的健康美容或是闲情雅致而已，其中蕴藏的深刻道理才是使茶道源远流长的主因。

Tea culture has lasted several thousands years in China. Modern people know tea for its healthful properties and beauty, its peacefulness and lovely mood. However, the profound meaning of the tea ceremony is the main reason for its longevity.