[updated September 2022]
Inside Xinchang This Past Spring With Pei Di, Pay a Visit, But Do Not Meet the Recluse Lu
春 日 与 裴 迪 过 新 昌 里 访 捛 逸 人 不 遇
桃 源 一 向 绝 风 尘
柳 市 南 头 访 隐 沦。
到 门 不 敢 题 凡 鸟
看 竹 何 须 问 主 人？
城 外 青 山 如 屋 里
东 家 流 水 入 西 邻。
闭 门 著 书 多 岁 月
种 松 皆 老 作 龙 鳞。
Chun Ri Yu Pei Di Guo Xin Chang Li Fang Lu Yi Ren Bu Yu
Tao yuan yi xiang jue feng chen
Liu shi nan tou fang yin lun
Dao men bu gan ti fan niao
Kan zhu he xu wen zhu ren?
Cheng wai qing shan ru wu li
Dong jia liu shui ru xi lin
Bu hu zhu shu duo sui yue
Zhong song jie lao zuo long lin.
Inside Xinchang This Past Spring, With Pei Di, Pay a Visit
But Do Not Meet, the Recluse Lu
The Peach Blossom River Source is one way to break off from the hardships and uncertainties of an unstable society
In the willow trees, past the south end of the city we seek the hidden hermit.
Arrive at his door, we certainly cannot write “fan niao” over his door
As very close friends who await for the host.
Outside the city wall, his house like the inside of green mountains
Water flows from eastern homes to enter the western neighbors.
With the door shut, he wrote books for many months and years
Each and every pine tree an old sage, with bark like dragon scales.
Notes:
Pei Di: One Wang Wei’s best friends. Pei was also a part of the Wang River Scrolls. (can read on this website).
Peach Blossom River Source: Wang is alluding to a famous poem by Tao Yuanming. These people are living the life as described by Laozi, specifically from chapter 80 of the Dao De Jing. See these website tabs for more information: “Tao Yuanming” and Artistic and Philosophical Foundations for Laozi’s Dao De Jing.
Fan niao: From a story of Lu An, a famous man, who upon visiting a friend, also found him not at home, and is greeted by his younger brother. Lu An writes “feng” over the door which has the approximate meaning of “ fan niao”. The younger brother thinks that “feng” means peacock, but actually Lu An meant it to mean “ordinary bird”
Bark like dragon scales: This line could also be interpreted as government workers have to write for the Dragon Emperor, whereas the hermit surrounded by pine trees writes only for himself.