Five Poems

Han Shan is a legendary figure honored as an incarnation of the Bodhisattva figure Manjusri. Although his dates are much disputed, it is widely believed he lived during the ninth century. After his disappearance, a Taoist, Xu Lingfu, collected Han Shan’s poems from the various rocks, trees, and walls on which they were written. Han Shan was singularly important to Beat Generation writers. Kerouac’s The Dharma Bums closes with a vision of Han Shan, and he dedicated the book to the fabled poet.