My Retreat at Zhongnan
In middle age I grew fond of the Way;
Later I made my home near the southern mountains.
When the mood comes, I often wander alone;
The pleasure of it is mine alone to know.
I walk until I reach the end of the stream,
Then sit and watch the clouds begin to rise.
By chance I meet an old man in the woods;
We talk and laugh without a time set for returning.
Notes
A retreat is a dwelling apart from one’s main home. The Way is often understood here in relation to Buddhist practice. Zhongnan is the southern mountain range near Chang’an. The stream’s end is not necessarily its source. An old man appears by chance.
Meaning
At a mountain retreat, the speaker wanders alone, watches rising clouds, and talks with an old man he happens to meet.
Appreciation
The opening moves from the speaker’s interest in the Way to his later mountain home.
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He wanders when the mood strikes and finds pleasure without needing company.
Walking gives way to sitting; the gaze shifts from the end of the water to clouds rising above.
An accidental meeting turns solitude into conversation, with no fixed hour for returning.
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.