The Pepper Garden
- Poetry of Wang Wei

《椒园》

English Translation

With laurel wine we greet the royal sprite;

Sweet herbs we give to the lady bright.

Spiced ale on jade mat laid with care —

For the Cloud God from the air.

This poem is the seventeenth of the twenty in Wang Wei's Wang River Collection, composed in response to a matching-title poem by his friend Pei Di. It does not depict a real landscape of the estate but constructs a pure, sacred, ritualistic space using highly condensed imagery modeled on the Songs of Chu, particularly the "Nine Songs." In his later years, deeply immersed in Buddhist philosophy, Wang Wei also demonstrated a keen affinity for the spirit-communion ethos of Chu shamanistic culture. In this poem, he deftly adapts archetypes from Xiang-Chu mythology, elevating a corner of Wangchuan—the "Garden of Peppers"—into a spiritual altar for communion between humanity and the divine. It reveals a rare dimension of mysticism and classical ritual beauty in his poetry.

中文原文( Chinese )

桂尊迎帝子，杜若赠佳人。

椒浆奠瑶席，欲下云中君。

Pre： Mengcheng Mound

Next：No Data

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.

The Pepper Garden - Poetry of Wang Wei

The Pepper Garden
- Poetry of Wang Wei