Autumn Twilight...

Autumn Twilight, Dwelling Among Mountains By Wang Wei

In empty mountains after the new rains,
it's late. Sky-ch'i has brought autumn –

bright moon incandescent in the pines,
crystalline stream slipping across rocks.

Bamboo rustles: homeward washerwomen.
Lotuses waver: a boat gone downstream.

Spring blossoms wither away by design,
but a distant recluse can stay on and on.

 

This beautiful poem infused with autumn fragrances takes on a much deeper meaning with the reference to ch'i : "the universal breath, vital energy, or life-giving principle. What we call "weather" or "climate" was spoken of as the ch'i of sky or heaven."

 

Wang Wei was an 8th century Chinese painter, calligrapher and musician as well as being one of the greatest High Tang dynasty  poets. His works often shows  a Buddhist influence, brevity and an awareness of the sensory mysteries of nature, combined with a hermit's detachment.

 

His poems have been widely translated into English by many poets and writers. He wrote almost exclusively in quatrains, many of which depict quiet scenes of water and mist, with the Wang River collection as his most famous work. He is a poet to be enjoyed at a slow pace , in layers of revelation at each word.