T'ao Ch'ien: I built my hut within where others live

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I built my hut within where others live

T'ao Ch'ien, T'ao Ch'ien poetry, Buddhist, Buddhist poetry, poetry, [TRADITION SUB2] poetry, Taoist poetry

by T'ao Ch'ien
(365 - 427) Timeline

Original Language
Chinese

Buddhist

Taoist

4th Century

I built my hut within where others live,
But there is no noise of carriages and horses.
You ask how this is possible:
When the heart is distant, solitude comes.
I pluck chrysanthemums by the eastern fence
And see the distant southern mountains.
The mountain air is fresh at dusk.
Flying birds return in flocks.
In these things there lies a great truth,
But when I try to express it, I cannot find the words.

Themes

Birds

East

Heart

Mountain

Recommended Books

	The Selected Poems of T'ao Ch'ien, Translated by David Hinton
	Sunflower Splendor: Three Thousand Years of Chinese Poetry, Edited by Wu-chi Liu / Edited by Irving Yucheng Lo

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Poetry Chaikhana Sacred Poetry from Around the World

Poetry Chaikhana
Sacred Poetry from Around the World