In My Lodge at Wang Chuan After a Long Rain
- Poetry of Wang Wei

《积雨辋川庄作 / 秋归辋川庄作》

English Rendering

The woods have stored the rain, and slow comes the smoke

As rice is cooked on faggots and carried to the fields;

Over the quiet marsh-land flies a white egret,

And mango-birds are singing in the full summer trees....

I have learned to watch in peace the mountain morningglories,

To eat split dewy sunflower-seeds under a bough of pine,

To yield the post of honour to any boor at all....

Why should I frighten sea gulls, even with a thought?

In My Lodge at Wang Chuan After a Long Rain by Wang Wei
In My Lodge at Wang Chuan After a Long Rain by Wang Wei

Original Text (中文原文)

积雨空林烟火迟,蒸藜炊黍饷东菑。

漠漠水田飞白鹭,阴阴夏木啭黄鹂。

山中习静观朝槿,松下清斋折露葵。

野老与人争席罢,海鸥何事更相疑。

Analysis & Context

Seven-character-regular-verse

Composed during Wang Wei's reclusive years at his Wangchuan Estate near Lantian, this poem exemplifies his signature "painting within poetry, Zen within painting" aesthetic. The estate, nestled beneath the Zhongnan Mountains with its harmonious blend of forests and farmland, provided the perfect setting for this masterpiece depicting post-rain scenery and rural life, reflecting the poet's spiritual clarity and transcendental harmony with nature.

Reader's Companion

The Essence of the Verse

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.

Reading Between the Lines

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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