On His South Mountain Villa
- Poetry of Wang Wei

《终南别业》

- Last updated: 2024-07-04 11:15:19

On His South Mountain Villa by Wang Wei
中文原文

中岁颇好道，晚家南山陲。

兴来每独往，胜事空自知。

行到水穷处，坐看云起时。

偶然值林叟，谈笑无还期。

English Translation

This mind after youth for the holy has grown.

Still later, up here, there’s my house so fine.

Whene’er there’s the mood I will wander alone

With pleasures sublime — be sure, all are mind!

Perchance I come near where a rill’d disappear,

Then I’ll sit and watch clouds rise in that clime.

An old wight may be here, and then, full of cheer,

We’ll chat and laugh with no thought of time.

The villa on Mount Zhong Nan is about Tang Dynasty poet’s Wang Wei’s villa in a little village called Wǎng Chuān / 輞川. This poem reads smoothly like roaming clouds, flowing water, filled with Wang Wei’s weariness of officialdom, living a secluded life in Zhong Nan filled with feelings of pleasure.

Since reaching his middle age, Wang Wei grew very fond of Buddhist beliefs, up until his later years, where he decided to live a solitary life in Mount Zhong Nan, peacefully cultivating his mind.

The poem expresses his profound and free lifestyle in the mountains, between the clear wind and white clouds, it looks as though there is nothing at all, but in actuality, there is everything.

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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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