[updated September 2022]
Return At Night to Deer Gate Temple
夜 归 鹿 门 寺
山 寺 鸣 钟 昼 已 昏
渔 梁 渡 头 争 渡 喧。
人 随 沙 路 尚 江 村
予 亦 乘 舟 归 鹿 门。
鹿 门 月 照 开 烟 树
忽 到 庞 公 栖 隐 处。
樵 经 非 遥 长 寂 廖
唯 有 幽 人 夜 来 去。
Ye Gui Lu Men Si
Shan si ming zhong zhou yi hun
Yu liang du tou zheng du xuan.
Ren sui sha lu xiang jiang cun
Yu yi cheng zhou gui lu men.
Lu men yue zhao kai yan shu
Hu dao pang gong qi yin chu.
Qiao jing fei yao chang ji liao
Wei you you ren ye lai qu.
Return at Night to Deer Gate Temple
Mountain temple bell sounds, daylight ends with dusk
At the Yuliang ferry crossing, crowds of people rush noisily for the boats.
Some people follow the sandy road to the river village
But I ride in my boat, going the opposite direction to Lumen.
Lumen moon shines, dissipating the mist around the trees
Suddenly arrive at Pange Gong’s place of seclusion.
Woodcutters’ narrow path nearby, long time silent and seldom used
Only have people living here in seclusion, coming and going at night.
Notes:
Yuliang: Settlement along the Xiang river.
Pangde Gong: A well-educated man who lived during the Three Kingdoms period (220-280 AD). He refused to enter the imperial bureaucracy, and instead lived in mountain seclusion with his wife. He died and is buried at the Lumen temple. Remnants of his house had remained when Meng paid his respects.