7 Cups of Tea

[Persephone Emerald]

This is the translation of a Chinese poem about the joys of sharing tea with a friend.

7 Cups of Tea, by Lu Tong (795 - 835 CE)
The first cup kisses away my thirst,
and my loneliness is quelled by the second.
The third gives insight worthy of ancient scrolls,
and the fourth exiles my troubles.
My body becomes lighter with the fifth,
and the sixth sends word from immortals.
But the seventh—oh the seventh cup—
if I drink you, a wind will hurry my wings
toward the sacred island.
- Translated by Christopher Nelson

[Persephone Emerald]

Thanks. There are actually several different translations, but I thought the poem belonged on this site somewhere.