Searching for the Hermit of the Western Mountain and Not Finding Him
尋西山隱者不遇 · Three Hundred Tang Poems
Searching for the Hermit of the Western Mountain and Not Finding Him
On the summit, a thatched hut,
Straight up—thirty li.
I knock at the gate—no servant boy,
I peer inside—only a desk and table.
If not riding his covered cart,
Then surely fishing in the autumn waters.
We missed each other—by chance I could not find him,
Yet I strove earnestly, gazing upward in vain.
The color of the grass in fresh rain,
The sound of the pines in the evening window.
At this moment, I commune with utter solitude,
And it is enough to cleanse my heart and ears.
Though no host or guest intent was fulfilled,
I have grasped something of the principle of purity.
When the mood is spent, then I descend the mountain—
Why must I wait for the Master?
尋西山隱者不遇
絕頂一茅茨，直上一作「下」三十里。
扣關無僮僕，窺室唯案几。
若非巾柴車，應是釣秋水。
差池不相見，黽勉空仰止。
草色新雨中，松聲晚牕裏。
及茲契幽絕，自足蕩心耳〈一本無此二句〉。
雖無賓主意，頗得清淨理。
興盡方下山，何必待之一作「夫」子。