— by Tao Yuanming (Jin Dynasty)
From youth I had no taste for worldly ways,
My nature loved the hills and mountains.
By mistake I fell into the dusty net,
And for thirty years I strayed.
A caged bird longs for its former woods,
A pond fish yearns for its native deeps.
So now I clear wild land along the southern border,
Keeping my simple heart, I return to garden and field.
Around my cottage, ten-odd acres of land;
Thatched rooms, eight or nine in all.
Elms and willows shade the back eaves,
Peach and plum trees line the front hall.
Dim in the distance, hamlets of men;
Drifting above, wisps of chimney smoke.
Dogs bark in the deep lanes,
Cocks crow from the tops of mulberry trees.
My courtyard holds no worldly dust or clutter,
My empty room has leisure and peace.
Long I was caged in that stifling pen –
Now at last I have returned to Nature.
Note
Tao Yuanming (c. 365–427), also known as Tao Qian, he was one of China’s greatest poets and a quintessential recluse. He served as a minor official for about thirteen years but repeatedly resigned, disgusted by court intrigue and moral compromise. At age 41, he served as magistrate of Pengze County for only 80 days, then quit forever, famously saying he would not “crook his back for five bushels of rice” (i.e., a petty salary) to please his superiors. He spent his remaining years farming, drinking wine, and writing poetry that celebrates rustic simplicity and personal integrity. His works deeply influenced later Chinese literature and became a symbol of the eremitic ideal.
The dusty net
A common metaphor in classical Chinese for the mundane world of officialdom, politics, and social ambition, which entangles and corrupts the pure spirit.
Return to the fields
The ideal of retiring from bureaucracy to rural life was highly esteemed among literati, especially when political chaos (like the Eastern Jin dynasty’s decline) made service dangerous or humiliating. “Refusing to bow for five pecks of rice” sounds like integrity. But what behind it was also self‑preservation. When every official around you is being purged, leaving the court isn’t retreat – it’s the smartest move you can make.
Keeping my simple heart
Literally “guarding clumsiness,” this celebrates innate, unpolished sincerity over cleverness or flattery required in court life. Laozi (in the Daodejing) teaches that great skill appears clumsy. In his poem, Tao says he “keeps his simple heart”, which directly echoes this Daoist idea: he chooses to appear “clumsy” by rejecting the slick, competitive world of officialdom, and in doing so, he attains genuine freedom and inner richness – true “great skill” in living.
Pastoral imagery (dogs, cocks, smoke, trees)
These are classic motifs of an idyllic, self-sufficient village, contrasting with the artificiality of city/court life. They evoke harmony between humans and nature.
“Thirty years“
Poetic hyperbole; actually he had been in and out of office for about 13 years by then, but “thirty” suggests a whole generation of wasted time.
“Five bushels of rice”
The famous anecdote: when a visiting inspector demanded Tao Yuanming bow formally, Tao refused, saying he would not sacrifice his dignity for a measly official salary. This became a touchstone of Chinese integrity.
“Caged bird” and “pond fish”
Universal metaphors for lost freedom, but in Chinese tradition they specifically evoke the Confucian dilemma: serving the state (duty) vs. following one’s true nature (authenticity). Tao chooses the latter.
陶渊明〔魏晋〕
少无适俗韵，性本爱丘山。
误落尘网中，一去三十年。
羁鸟恋旧林，池鱼思故渊。
开荒南野际，守拙归园田。
方宅十余亩，草屋八九间。
榆柳荫后檐，桃李罗堂前。
暧暧远人村，依依墟里烟。
狗吠深巷中，鸡鸣桑树颠。
户庭无尘杂，虚室有余闲。
久在樊笼里，复得返自然。
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