I dismount from my horse and I offer you wine,
And I ask you where you are going and why.
And you answer: "I am discontent
And would rest at the foot of the southern mountain.
So give me leave and ask me no questions.
White clouds pass there without end."
下马饮君酒，问君何所之？
君言不得意，归卧南山垂。
但去莫复问，白云无尽时。
下馬飲君酒， 問君何所之？
君言不得意， 歸臥南山陲。
但去莫復聞， 白雲無盡時。
Five-character-quatrain
Wang Wei’s friend is feeling dejected and rather than keeping him from leaving he is encouraging him to leave and get some rest, they have drinks to solidify him leaving.
This poem was composed by Wang Wei upon his friend's retreat into seclusion, expressing both understanding of this decision and his own yearning for reclusive life. Though seemingly plain in diction, it carries profound emotions, revealing the poet's indifference to fame and fortune while celebrating the freedom of hermetic existence.
Classical Chinese poetry thrives on Concision and Ambiguity. Without tense or number, the words create a timeless space where the reader becomes the co-creator of the poem's meaning.
Look for Contrasts: light and shadow, movement and stillness. Don't just translate the words; feel the Yijing (artistic conception) that lingers long after the last character.
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