Copyright notice
All text and original images in this blog © 1990-2010 by William P. Coleman. Some rights reserved. You may reuse only as specified in the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License or by written permission.About me
If you'd like to know more about me, please see the About page. My qualifications for the scientific entries are in my CV.
I see no reason to segregate scientific and technical posts from humanistic ones. In my life, scientific concerns mix with ethical ones, and they shade into a philosophical interest in the nature of cognition and the nature of people. Doing science is as creative as writing fiction, and I get inspiration for both from the same gods.
You will find little here on current politics. I'm an activist, but not in symptoms. Experience in martial arts shows me that the sure way to lose is reactivity; but if you stay cool and remember your training and what you're there for then you achieve goals and, when conflict is unavoidable, you fight and win. The idea of the liberal arts I was brought up in is that broad understanding of cultures and ideas gives you deeper, better goals -- making success more likely and more satisfying. Negatively, the hysteria since 9/11 shows how a country frightened and reactive can destroy itself more than an enemy can. I'm trying to contribute by changing the terms of discourse. . . . As Allen Ginsberg wrote, "America, I'm putting my queer shoulder to the wheel."
One fact shouldn't require special mention, but it sometimes does: namely that I'm gay. This blog is not primarily about being gay, but the topic sometimes comes up. I'm proud of being gay and do not hide. Muse
Category Archives: Su Tung-P’o
Su Tung P’o — lyrics to the tune of “Fairy Grotto”
lyrics to the tune of “Fairy Grotto” Su Tung-P’o 1037-1101 CE (translated by William P. Coleman) She has ice flesh, jade bones: pure of themselves, cool, with no perspiration. When wind comes, her water palace fills with hidden fragrance and … Continue reading
Su Tung P’o — Impromptu Verse, again
Impromptu Verse, again Su Tung-P’o 1037-1101 CE (translated by William P. Coleman) With white hair that the wind’s blown — frosted, loose — in this small pavilion, I lie on a rattan mat seeming sick. The doctor says spring sleep … Continue reading
Su Tung P’o — Impromptu Verse
Impromptu Verse Su Tung-P’o 1037-1101 CE (translated by William P. Coleman) Lonely, Tung P’o, a sick old man has white hair that the wind blows — frosted, loose. My son is fooled, happy at my rosy face; I smile, knowing … Continue reading
Su Tung-P’o — Dreaming of My Deceased Wife on the Night of the 20th Day of the First Month
Dreaming of My Deceased Wife on the Night of the 20th Day of the First Month Su Tung-P’o 1037-1101 CE (translated by William P. Coleman) Ten years, both, living and dead, boundless — even if we were able, it’s hardly … Continue reading
Su Tung-P’o — lyrics for the tune of “Immortal by the River”
lyrics for the tune of “Immortal by the River” Su Tung-P’o 1037-1101 CE (translated by William P. Coleman) I drank all evening at East Slope and woke again drunk, coming back at maybe the third watch. I can hear my … Continue reading
Su Tung-P’o — Awaiting the new year
Awaiting the new year Su Tung-P’o 1037-1101 CE (translated by William P. Coleman) Soon we’ll feel the year running out like a snake going into its hole. Long, scaly, already half disappeared, the last trace will go; who can stop … Continue reading
Su Tung-P’o — Mid-autumn moon
Mid-autumn moon Su Tung-P’o 1037-1101 CE (translated by William P. Coleman) At sunset, the clouds gather far; it’s perfectly clear and cold. The Milky Way is silent, and I turn away to the jade plate. The goodness of this life … Continue reading
Su Tung-P’o — A visit to the temple of the God of Mercy, on a rainy day
A visit to the temple of the God of Mercy, on a rainy day Su Tung-P’o 1037-1101 CE (translated by William P. Coleman) The silkworms have grown old; the wheat has become half yellow; around the mountain the rain falls … Continue reading
Su Tung-P’o — A visit to the Temple of Auspicious Fortune, alone at Winter Solstice
A visit to the Temple of Auspicious Fortune, alone at Winter Solstice Su Tung-P’o 1037-1101 CE (translated by William P. Coleman) Could warmth ever come again to the deep well bottom? The cold, sighing rain has drenched all the withered … Continue reading
Su Tung-P’o — Written on the north tower wall after snow
Written on the north tower wall after snow Su Tung-P’o 1037-1101 CE (translated by William P. Coleman) The yellow dusk produced a fine, fine rain, but at night the calm, windless weather changed. I felt it only like water droplets … Continue reading
