SPIRIT-LAND. A Taoist priest of Lin-cKung,
of the Hung-tu school. Was able, by his perfect art, to summon
the spirits of the dead. Anxious to relieve the fretting mind
of his sovereign, This magician receives orders
to urge a diligent quest. Borne on the clouds, charioted upon ether,
he rushes with the speed of lightning High up to heaven, low down to earth,
seeking everywhere. Above, he searches the empyrean;
below, the Yellow Springs, But nowhere in these vast areas
can her place be found. At length he hears of an Isle of the Blest
away in mid-ocean, Lying in realms of vacuity,
dimly to be descried. There gaily decorated buildings
rise up like rainbow clouds, And there many gentle and beautiful Immortals
pass their days in peace. Among them is one whose name
sounds upon lips as Eternal, And by her snow-white skin and flower-like face
he hnows that this is she. Knocking at the jade door
at the western gate of the golden palace, He bids a fair waiting-maid announce him
to her mistress, fairer still. She, hearing of this embassy
sent by the Son of Heaven, Starts up from her dreams
among the tapestry curtains. Grasping her clothes and pushing away the pillow,
she arises in haste, And begins to adorn herself
with pearls and jewels.
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