Visiting Xiangji Temple
I do not know where Xiangji Temple is;
After several miles I enter cloud-wrapped peaks.
Old trees stand beside an untrodden path;
From where in the deep mountains comes a bell?
A spring murmurs against the steep rocks;
Sunlight seems cold upon the green pines.
At dusk, beside a secluded bend in the pool,
Meditation quiets the poisonous dragon of the mind.
Notes
Guo means to visit. The temple’s precise location has been interpreted differently. The spring sounds subdued among steep rocks. In Buddhist imagery the poisonous dragon can stand for troubling thoughts; meditation brings the mind to stillness.
Meaning
Seeking a temple, the speaker enters the mountains, hears bells and water, and arrives at a dusk scene associated with meditation.
Appreciation
The title promises a visit, yet the opening begins with not knowing the way; the path through clouded peaks becomes part of the search.
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Old trees, an empty path and a bell from an unknown place create depth and quiet.
The subdued sound of water and the cool-looking sunlight combine hearing and sight.
The closing meditation image connects the secluded pool with a Buddhist metaphor for mastering troubling thoughts.
About the poet
Wang Wei (c. 701–761), courtesy name Mojie, was a Tang poet, painter and official whose family originated near present-day Qixian, Shanxi.
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He served in government and spent time at Wangchuan; poems exchanged with Pei Di are well known.
His works also include Deer Enclosure and Seeing Yuan Er Off to Anxi.