To a Daoist in the Mountains of Quanjiao
This morning my prefectural lodging is cold;
Suddenly I think of the guest in the mountains.
He gathers brushwood in the streambed,
Then returns to boil white stones.
I wish to bring a dipper of wine
To comfort him on this distant, rainy evening.
Fallen leaves fill the empty mountains;
Where could I trace his steps?
Notes
Quanjiao is in present-day Anhui. The prefectural lodging is the speaker’s official residence. Boiling white stones is an allusion associated with Daoist practice and reclusion, not necessarily a literal account of food. A dipper is used for carrying wine.
Meaning
In a cold official lodging, the poet thinks of a Daoist friend in the mountains and wishes to bring wine, though the leaf-covered mountain makes him hard to find.
Appreciation
The cold lodging prompts the thought of a distant friend.
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Brushwood and the stone-boiling allusion sketch a spare imagined life in the mountains.
A dipper of wine carries a wish to offer companionship across distance.
Fallen leaves and the question of finding a trail leave the concern unresolved.
About the poet
Wei Yingwu (c. 737–c. 792) was a Tang poet associated with the area of present-day Xi’an; accounts of his dates differ.
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He served in places including Chuzhou, Jiangzhou and Suzhou, and often wrote about landscape and daily life.
His works include West Stream at Chuzhou and An Autumn Night Sent to Qiu.