Returning to Mount Lumen at Night
The mountain temple bell sounds as daylight fades;
At Yuliang ferry the crowd jostles noisily to cross.
People follow the sandy bank toward their riverside village;
I too take a boat home to Mount Lumen.
Moonlight reveals the mist-veiled trees at Lumen;
Suddenly I reach the place where Master Pang once lived in seclusion.
The rocky gate and pine path remain quiet and empty;
Only a solitary dweller comes and goes at will.
Notes
Mount Lumen lies near modern Xiangyang. Yuliang names a river shoal and ferry area. Master Pang refers to Pang Degong, remembered as a recluse. The rocky gate may suggest a natural opening or the entrance to a mountain dwelling.
Meaning
The speaker travels from a busy ferry to Mount Lumen, reaching a place associated with an earlier recluse and ending among quiet pines.
Appreciation
A temple bell and a noisy ferry set quiet distance beside the bustle of evening travel.
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Villagers return along the bank while the speaker goes home by boat: two routes are placed side by side.
Moonlight reveals the trees and the reference to Master Pang connects the landscape with an older tradition of retreat.
The rocky gate and pine path end the journey in a specific, quiet place.
About the poet
Meng Haoran (689–740) was a Tang poet from the area of present-day Xiangyang, Hubei.
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He traveled widely and wrote about landscapes, rural life and journeys.
He is often associated with Wang Wei; his surviving works include Spring Morning, Passing an Old Friend’s Farm, and Mooring on the Jiande River.