A Note Left for an Absent Ecluse
- Poetry of Jia Dao

《寻隐者不遇》
A Note Left for an Absent Ecluse by Jia Dao
English Translation

When I questioned your pupil, under a pine-tree,

"My teacher," he answered, " went for herbs,

But toward which corner of the mountain,

How can I tell, through all these clouds ?"

Poem translator: Kiang Kanghu

Five-character-quatrain

This poem was composed by Jia Dao during the Tang Dynasty, a time of heightened social tensions, political corruption, regional warlordism, and frequent wars. Talented individuals found it difficult to realize their ambitions, and many chose to retreat from the world. Jia Dao often expressed his emotions through landscapes in his poetry and frequently interacted with hermits, Taoists, and monks. This poem was written when the poet visited a hermit but failed to meet him, capturing the scene and revealing his longing for a reclusive life and his frustration with reality.

中文原文( Chinese )

松下问童子，言师采药去。

只在此山中，云深不知处。

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Why Chinese poems is so special?
The most distinctive features of Chinese poetry are: concision- many poems are only four lines, and few are much longer than eight; ambiguity- number, tense and parts of speech are often undetermined, creating particularly rich interpretative possibilities; and structure- most poems follow quite strict formal patterns which have beauty in themselves as well as highlighting meaningful contrasts.
How to read a Chinese poem?
Like an English poem, but more so. Everything is there for a reason, so try to find that reason. Think about all the possible connotations, and be aware of the different possibilities of number and tense. Look for contrasts: within lines, between the lines of each couplet and between successive couplets. Above all, don't worry about what the poet meant- find your meaning.
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