my retreat at mount zhongnan
Author: Wang Wei
my heart in middle age found the Way, and I came to dwell at the foot of this mountain. ?
I come and go alone, amid beauty that is all for me. ?
I will walk till the water checks my path, then sit and watch the rising clouds. ?
and some day meet an old wood-cutter, and talk and laugh and never return.
Translation:
After middle age, (I) hated the hustle and bustle of dust and customs, believed in Taoism, settled down in the border of Nanshan in my later years, and often traveled the mountains and rivers.
when you are in the mood, you can enjoy this beautiful scenery alone. This kind of beautiful thing can only be enjoyed by yourself.
I walked casually, but before I knew it, I came to the end of the running water, seeing that there was no way out, so I simply sat down and watched the carefree and unintentional clouds rise and wander.
When I met an old man in a mountain forest, I talked with him about the waterside in the mountains. I stayed with him and forgot the time to go back.
"I will walk till the water checks my path, then sit and watch the rising clouds" is a comfortable and detached life realm that conforms to nature, is carefree and calmly faces the desperate situation of life.