22. Looked for the Hermit of the Western Mountain; Did Not Meet
A poem by Qiu Wei, translated by Hyun Woo Kim
A thatched house on the mountaintop,
Straight up thirty Lis.
Knocked the door; no servant boy bows.
Peeeped into the room; nothing but a desk.
If he had not left on the wrapped wagon for firewood,
It must be that he went fishing at the autumn waters.
By an accident, we did not see each other;
I struggle, just to revere him in vain.
The color of grass, in the midst of the new rain;
The sound of pines, at the window in the evening.
At this point, fittingly to the deep level,
They bathe my heart and ear, enough on their own.
Though there is no meaning for the host and the guest,
I have truly gained the clean and pure logos.
When the amusement is gone, one must descend the mountain;
Why wait for this man no matter what?
「 尋西山隱者不遇」
絶頂一茅茨
直上三十里
扣關無僮仆
窺室惟案几
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
松聲晩窗裏
及茲契幽絶
自足蕩心耳
雖無賓主意
頗得淸淨理
興盡方下山
何必待之子
From Hyun Woo:
Qiu Wei is a poet who is known to have befriended Wang Wei. He worked as a government official for some time, was famous for serving his stepmother wholeheartedly, and died at the age of 96, which is quite astounding for a medieval man. Nothing much is known more about him. His poetry collection was lost in time, and only a handful of his poem remain to this day. It is a shame. His remaining poems are all good.
The narrative of today’s poem is very profound and even touching. The poetic narrator wanted to meet a hermit whom he revered. However, when he reached the hermit’s place, no one is home. He struggles from it. Then, he notices the “color of grass” and the “sound of pines”. The moment of epiphany strikes him, which leads him to the “deep level”, bathing his “heart and ear”. He understands that “there is no meaning for the host and the guest”, having “gained the clean and pure logos.” Now, the poetic narrator can see that meeting the hermit himself is not the point of his ascent. He is ready to go down.
While I do not want to devalue Qiu Wei, such a brilliant insight is not solely his own. It would be fair to say that Qiu Wei was deeply rooted in the tradition of Chinese literature. The “wrapped wagon for firewood” came from Tao Yuanming’s poem, and the last two lines are a loose quote from Wang Huizhi, a son of the famous calligrapher Wang Xizhi. Later, Jia Dao would repeat the theme of looking for a hermit who is not there in his poem. Quite often, when reading Classical Chinese poetry, you get better at understanding it by reading more from it.
If you enjoyed my work, you can buy me a cup of tea. I am not a coffee person, by the way.
Just beautiful! This poem and your translation evokes strong melancholic feelings in me. Apt for this night with the start of 立秋today.
Wonderful poem! I need to become more familiar with this poet's work. I have a collection of Tang Poetry, hopefully their work is included.