QIU WEI (Ch'iu Wei) (701--796)

Qiu Wei was a close friend of the poets Liu Zhangching and Wang Wei and despite failing the imperial examinations several times, eventually passed and had a long career as an official.

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LOOKING FOR A HERMIT IN THE WEST MOUNTAIN, AND NOT FINDING HIM

A thatched cottage atop a mountain.
I climb straight up ten miles to get here,
tap the knocker but no servant comes.
Peeping into the room I see only a table.
If not gone in your simple wagon,
you must be fishing in the autumn water.
We happened to miss each other,
though I tried hard to show my regard.
Grass looks fresh in the falling rain,
and pines shush in the evening windows,
the sound and scene of perfect isolation,
enough to wash a man's heart clean.
Though we didn't get a chance to be guest and host,
it worked out cleanly and simply:
I'll descend the mountain when I've had enough.
Why should I wait for the host to return?

 

        ---Translated by Tony Barnstone and Chou Ping