Passing through Guanhua Temple Tanxing Master Shanyuan
Wang Wei (Tang Dynasty)
Holding a bamboo stick at dusk, they treat each other at the head of Huxi.
Urge guests to hear the sound of mountains and return to their houses to follow the flow of water.
The wild flowers are blooming, and the valley birds are singing quietly.
Sitting in the sky at night, the forest is silent, and the wind in the pines is as straight as autumn.
Notes:
Qiong (qióng) bamboo stick: a walking stick made of Qiong bamboo.
Huxitou: The name of the stream. According to legend, Master Jin Huiyuan lived in Donglin Temple in Lushan Mountain. He could not see guests off but by the stream. When crossing here, tigers would howl, so it was named Huxi.
Translation:
In the evening, holding bamboo canes, we made an appointment to wait at the head of Huxi.
Urged to walk quickly, I heard the echo of the valley and followed the water back to my temporary house.
Wild flowers bloom in clusters, and the chirping of valley birds is heard from time to time, making it even more peaceful.
Sitting in the empty temple at night, the pine breeze blew over, like a cool autumn breeze.
Appreciation:
This poem describes Wang Wei and his friends visiting the Guanghua Temple and visiting the Master Tan Xing. "Holding bamboo sticks at dusk, we treat each other at Huxitou." The plain language is incorporated into the poem, explaining the time of the trip and agreeing on the meeting place. A few numbers convey the poet's excitement before traveling. They could have gone together, but they decided to meet up. The word "treat each other" expresses the poet's impatient mood. Because they walked too fast, they would soon be leaving. My companions were left behind, so I had to make an appointment to meet somewhere.
Jaw couplet: "Urge guests to hear the sound of the mountains and return to their houses to chase the water." The word "urge" further highlights the poet's speed. He urges his friends to come faster from time to time. His steps are brisk and his mood is light. At this time, Wang Wei no longer had the leisure and loneliness of "leaning on his stick outside the firewood door, listening to the evening cicadas in the wind." The echo of the valley and the sound of the running water of the mountain stream further highlighted the silence of the mountain road. The sound of people's voices, the sound of mountains, and the sound of water flow are like beating notes, strung together into a cheerful melody, accompanying the poet's brisk footsteps back to the mountain house where he temporarily lives.
Neck couplet: "The bushes of wild flowers are blooming, and the valley bird sings quietly." Although he was traveling very fast, the careful poet did not miss the clusters of mountain flowers blooming by the roadside, nor did he miss the valley bird's cry. The word "sing" is very magical. It uses movement to set off the stillness, and the valley becomes more quiet. It is similar to "the moonrise scares the mountain birds, and they sing in the spring stream." It has a different tune but the same effect.
The last couplet: "Sitting in the sky at night, the forest is silent, and the pine wind is as straight as autumn." The word "empty" captures the joy of the first few lines of the poem. The wind blows through the pine forest, and the pine breeze blows. Array, just like the cool autumn. At this point, a picture of a mountaineering trip with friends ends in the silence of a pine forest.
Wang Wei’s poems contain movement in silence and stillness in movement. They include the colorfulness of “the blooming of wild flowers” ??and the Zen enlightenment of “sitting in the sky and the silence of the forest at night”; There is the lightness of "the sound of mountains" and the silence of "the sound of birds in the valley". The infinite vitality of all things is revealed in the leisurely silence. I can't help but think that human life is not like this.