32. The Eastern Suburb

A poem by Wei Yingwu, translated by Hyun Woo Kim

Having crouched all year at a government office,

I go out to the suburb at daybreak, bright and clear.

A gentle wind unties the willows;

A blue mountain cleans my worries.

I rely on a bush to rest properly on my own,

Meander around a green stream, and walk again.

A drizzle hazes the flowery field;

Where do the spring doves sing?

The heart that enjoys hiding halted many times:

The steps running after work were yet in a hurry.

When I quit at last and build a thatched cottage,

It will be befitting to want to admire Tao.

「 東郊」

吏舍跼終年

出郊曠淸曙

楊柳散和風

靑山澹吾慮

依叢適自憩

緣澗還復去

微雨靄芳原

春鳩鳴何處

樂幽心屢止

遵事跡猶遽

終罷斯結廬

慕陶眞可庶

From Hyun Woo:

Once in a while, every office worker dreams of quitting his or her job for good and starting a cottage life. It must have been the same for a Chinese poet from the eighth century. Of course, working at a government office in pre-modern China often meant being involved in politics, but today’s poem does not hint at Wei Yingwu’s political concerns.

I love how Wei Yingwu described himself as “crouched” in his office. It seems he could not take a break for a whole year, and the best breakaway he could manage was to take a walk in “the suburb at daybreak”. Thinking of him resting near a bush and meandering around a stream makes me smile. Why could he not live the life he wanted, though? While his “heart” wanted to live a hidden life, his “steps” were “in a hurry”, “running after work”. Though somewhat disheartening, Wei Yingwu’s imagery and sense of humor are still enjoyable here.

In the last line, Wei Yingwu mentions Tao. “Tao” here is not Tao as in Taoism but refers to Tao Yuanming, a poet born in the fourth century. (He is one of my favorite poets, by the way, and I consider him to be one of the most beautiful souls that have ever walked on earth. If you have been receiving this newsletter for months, you surely have already heard about him from me!) Tao Yuanming’s story of stepping down from a government position to go back home and start farming is still well known to this day.

What I deeply admire about Wei Yingwu is that he did not simply write that he admired Tao Yuanming. Instead, Wei Yingwu considered himself to be yet unworthy even to want to admire him. Only when he does “quit at last and build a thatched cottage” will he be “befitting to admire” him. To my disappointment, too many East Asian writers were eager to present themselves as hermits like Tao Yuanming as a way to be known as men of high character. Wei Yingwu was not like them, and I believe he was one of the few who truly admired Tao Yuanming.

P.S. While Wei Yingwu’s poems are generally good, does anybody feel that reading only his poems for six weeks straight is too much? Don’t worry. We have just one more poem by Wei Yingwu to go over.

If you enjoyed my work, you can buy me a cup of tea. I am not a coffee person, by the way.