Tang Dynasty · Zen Meditation & Solitude
Deer Enclosure鹿柴
By Wang Wei (王维)
空山不见人，
但闻人语响。
返景入深林，
复照青苔上。
Empty mountains, with not a soul in sight,
Yet echoes of human voices drift in the air.
Slanted sunlight penetrates the deep forest,
And shines once more upon the emerald moss.
Line-by-Line Study with Pinyin
Detailed study breakdown matching each verse with character pinyin and English phrasing.
Traditional Color: 青矾绿
The deep, shadowed emerald of ancient moss thriving on shaded cliff faces, reflecting quiet stillness untouched by the dust of the world.
Cultural Context & Zen Lore
Wang Wei (699–761), known as the "Poet Buddha," was equally celebrated as a painter. The Song dynasty polymath Su Shi remarked that "in Wang Wei's poetry there is painting, and in his painting there is poetry." The word "empty" (空 kōng) also translates the Buddhist concept of Sunyata (emptiness).
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