In late January, a donation of masks and thermometers from the Japan Youth Development Association in Tokyo to the coronavirus-stricken Hubei province caused a stir on Chinese social media.

1月底东京的日本青年发展协会给暴发新型冠状病毒肺炎疫情的中国湖北省捐赠的一批口罩和温度计在中国社交媒体上引发了热议。

This was because of the powerful poetic¹ message written on each box: "山川异域，风月同天," which literally² translates to "Mountains and rivers on foreign land, wind and moon under the same sky," or officially, "Lands apart, sky shared." Besides the heartfelt regard and the elegant language, the quote also alluded³ a significant moment in the history of cultural exchange between the two countries.

这是因为每个箱子上都写着一句有力的诗：“山川异域，风月同天”。除了真心的关怀和优雅的语言外，这句诗也彰显了中日两国文化交流史上的一个重要时刻。

The line comes from a seventh century Buddhist⁴ hymn⁵ by Prince Nagaya, a politician from the Nara period (710 – 794) of Japan, titled "Embroidered⁶ on Kasaya Robes for Good Karma":

这句诗出自7世纪日本长屋亲王的佛诗《绣袈裟衣缘》，长屋亲王是日本奈良时期（710-794）的一位政治家。

Lands apart, sky shared.

山川异域，风月同天。

For the disciples⁷ of Buddha⁸, to nurture⁹ good karma.

寄诸佛子，共结来缘。

As the title suggests, the hymn was embroidered on 1,000 Buddhist robes which Prince Nagaya had made and sent to the Tang court in China, part of his invitation for Chinese Buddhist monks¹⁰ to visit Japan. The poem was also included in the Complete Tang Poems, the largest existing collection of Tang poetry.

如题所示，这首佛诗被绣在长屋亲王命人制作的1000件袈裟上，送往中国唐朝，这是他邀请中国僧人来日本的一份诚意。这首诗也被收录进了现存最大的唐诗集《全唐诗》。

Inspired by the Prince's hymn, Jianzhen, the renowned¹¹ traveler and spiritual leader from the Tang dynasty (618 – 907), decided¹² to go on a voyage to Japan. After six attempts and the loss of his eyesight, Jianzhen finally arrived, and made a significant contribution to the spread of Buddhism¹³ in Japan.

长屋亲王的这首诗启发了鉴真，让他决定漂洋过海前往日本。鉴真是唐代（618-907）的著名旅行者和精神领袖，在经历了6次尝试和双目失明后，鉴真终于到达了日本，为佛教在日本的传播做出了重要贡献。

The reference does not only invoke¹⁴ shared history, but also mutual¹⁵ appreciation¹⁶ for ancient poetry in the Chinese language. Many in China were touched by the poetic expression of support from Japanese citizens during the COVID-19 outbreak.

这句诗不但让人想起了这段共同的历史，也引发了人们对中文古诗的共同欣赏之情。许多中国人都被日本民众在新型冠状病毒疫情期间支持中国的诗意表达方式所打动了。

The positive response has encouraged other donors¹⁸ from Japan to include similar poetic messages with their donations.

中国民众积极的反馈使日本其他捐赠者受到鼓舞，也在捐赠物资上写下相似的诗句。

In early February, another shipment of medical supplies from Japan arrived with another famous line: "岂曰无衣，与子同裳," which translates to "Fear not the want of armor, for mine is also yours to wear," a quote from a battle song of the Qin state, "Wuyi," in the Book of Songs. It was reportedly suggested to the Japanese donor¹⁷ organization by an overseas Chinese student to express a wish to fight together against the virus.

另一批医疗物资上写着另一句名诗：“岂曰无衣，与子同裳”，这句诗出自《诗经》中的《秦风·无衣》。据称，这是一位中国留学生向该日本捐赠机构提出的建议，来表达一同抗击病毒的心愿。全诗如下：

Fear not the want of armor, for mine is also yours to wear.

岂曰无衣？与子同裳。

The king is raising his forces; I will sharpen my weapons, and march along with you!

王于兴师，修我甲兵。与子偕行！

In another case, the city of Maizuru donated supplies to Dalian, its "friendship city" since 1982, with the message: "青山一道同云雨，明月何曾是两乡," a quote from Tang poet Wang Changling's "Seeing Off Imperial Censor¹⁹ Chai":

日本舞鹤市捐赠给大连的物资上写着这句诗：“青山一道同云雨，明月何曾是两乡。”这句诗出自唐代诗人王昌龄的《送柴侍御》。舞鹤市和大连市从1982年起就结成了友好城市。《送柴侍御》全诗如下：

The river connects all the way to Wugang

流水通波接武冈

On parting with you my heart is not weighed down.

送君不觉有离伤。

Though separated by a mountain, we'll share the same clouds and rain

青山一道同云雨

The bright moon belongs not to a single town.

明月何曾是两乡。

In Toyama prefecture, an official even wrote an original poem to go with his prefecture's donation to Liaoning province:

日本富山县的一名官员甚至在本县捐赠给中国辽宁省的物资上题了一首自创的诗：

Liao River thaws²⁰, while flowers bloom in Toyama

辽河雪融，富山花开

Of the same breath and from joint branches, we hope together for the spring to come soon.

同气连枝，共盼春来。

In this difficult time, poetry seems to hold a special power to comfort and connect.

在这个困难时期，诗歌似乎拥有一种抚慰和引发共鸣的特殊力量。