Being Humorous
Yutang Lin
Being humorous lies in being implicit
Mention only the heads of threads, and leave the imagination to the listeners
Stop short at the middle line, so one may move forward or backward
All details explicitly presented
Refined subtleties inadvertently missed
As expressions overly piled up
Tastes and interests were much reduced
Dharma teaches the middle path
Wouldn't that also be the art of living
Feet buried too deep
Even with wings embedded could not fly away
Dragon flies touched only lightly the surface of water
Ripples bloomed along its path
Humorous words loosened countenances
And let smiles blossom brightly
Unspoken intentions hidden in understatements
Compelled listeners to reflect and ponder
And then broke into happy and appreciative chortling
In this human life of much suffering and few happy moments
May humorous flowers bloom here and there
So as to ease gently the pain and suffering
Written in Chinese and translated on November 18, 2007
El Cerrito, California
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