The Original and Translation of The Source of Living Water

The source of living water and its translation are as follows:

Lingfeng Mountain has Golden Rooster Peak. Most of the grass on the top of the mountain is bamboo, and most of the trees are maple and pine. Most birds are bamboo chickens. Bamboo chicken is shaped like a chicken, but smaller than a chicken. They have patterns on their bodies and like to sing. There is a temple in the mountains, surrounded by mountains. The mountain in front of the temple is called Taoshan, which is the secluded place of Tao Hongjing, the official name of Huayang Scholar. The mountain in the southeast of the temple is called Mount Everest, where Ou Yezi cast his sword. Behind the temple, near the cliff stone carvings, there is a pavilion called Song Fengting, where Master Kui (Zong Kui) lives.

There is spring water here, which begins to flow out from the cracks in the stone, flowing carefully, warm in winter and cool in summer; It flows into a small canal and does not dry up in winter and summer. When the small canal is full, it flows southwest, next to the sand, forming four small ponds, flowing eastward until the foot of the mountain, and the water gathers into a big pond, which flows eastward into Ruoye River and northeast into Jinghu Lake. When the small canal was first formed, the water depth was less than one foot, and it was as clear as a person. Pines, bamboos and flowers on the thin cliff overlooking the spring are all underwater. Therefore, the minister (official name) Bai Chang came to play and sat by the water all day, and named this spring as a living water source.

The spring water produces stone crabs the size of copper coins. There is also a small mackerel, pure black in color, which lives in caves and is often eaten by water rats. Most of the grass in the water is water pine and calamus. Here is a bird, about the size of a silver carp, with a red beak. It often sings on the water. Its song is similar to that of a bamboo chicken, but it is smoother than that of a bamboo chicken. There are two snipes, who often come out of the bamboo forest and stand on the stone to take a bath. After drinking water, they sang and flew away. I came in early spring, when the weather was still very cold, and all kinds of aquarium animals could not be hidden, and only now have they all appeared. There are four or five bugs, all as big as a little finger and shaped like half a lotus seed, circling on the water all day. The sun shines on their backs, and the color is like amethyst. I don't know what bugs they are.

I like the clear spring water here, and I like its continuous supply. It can let all kinds of animals attach to it, and it has the character of a gentleman. Master Wei Xiao added: "In the dry season, spring water can irrigate dozens of acres of fields." Then its benefits can benefit all things and should be deeply loved by Bai.