— Wang Wei
I follow the Blue Rill
To the Stream of Yellow Blooms.
It winds from hill to hill
Till far away it looms.
It roars amid pebbles white
And calms down under pines green.
Weeds float on ripples light,
Reeds mirrored like a screen.
Mind’s carefree, alone;
The clear stream flows with ease.
I would sit on a stone
To fish whatever I please.
青溪
— [唐]王维
言入黄花川，
每逐青溪水。
随山将万转，
趣途无百里。
声喧乱石中，
色静深松里。
漾漾泛菱荇，
澄澄映葭苇。
我心素已闲，
清川澹如此。
请留盘石上，
垂钓将已矣。
Note
The poem is believed to have been written during Wang Wei’s early seclusion in the Zhongnan Mountains in Lantian. Another theory suggests it was composed on his journey to Shu (Sichuan Province).
This poem is a pentasyllabic verse and a landscape poem composed after the poet’s retreat from official life. By celebrating the little-known Blue Stream, the poet reflects his own simple aspirations. The stream’s tranquility and unpretentiousness symbolize his desire for a life of peace and leisure.
During this period, Wang Wei developed a profound appreciation for natural scenery, and the landscapes of the Zhongnan Mountains inspired his creativity. He repeatedly traveled along the Blue Stream to reach Huanghua Chuan (Stream of Yellow Blooms). Although the journey was less than a hundred li, the stream meandered gracefully along the mountainous terrain, twisting and turning in a captivating manner. With a fresh and natural style, Wang Wei depicted the stream’s winding course and serene beauty. The scenery allowed him to intricately portray nature’s charm and express his inner feelings, using the stream’s simplicity and purity to mirror his own tranquil state of mind, leisurely disposition, and contentment with a reclusive life.
Whenever the poet journeyed to Huanghua Chuan (Stream of Yellow Blooms), he followed the Blue Stream. Though he never explicitly stated that this was the only route, his fondness for the stream is evident. Winding with the contours of the mountains, the Blue Stream presented ever-changing vistas along its course. Despite its short distance, it curved and twisted like a serpent, displaying a captivating beauty.
The steep mountains and rushing waters crashed against rocks in the stream, creating a roaring sound. The poet expressed that what attracted him to the Blue Stream was its serenity and simplicity. In other words, Wang Wei regarded the stream as a symbol of his ideal personality, reflecting his contentment with a reclusive life after disillusionment with his official career. In the end, the poet alluded to the Eastern Han dynasty recluse Yan Ziling, who fished on the Fuchun River, suggesting that he, too, sought solace in seclusion by the Blue Stream.
Yan Guang (39 BC – 41 AD), originally surnamed Zhuang and styled Ziling, was a renowned hermit of the Eastern Han Dynasty. Due to Emperor Ming named “Zhuang”, Yan Guang adopted the surname Yan to replace Zhuang. He was a fellow student at the Imperial Academy with Emperor Guangwu Liu Xiu. In 25 AD, after Liu Xiu ascended the throne, Yan Guang went into hiding and fished by the Fuchun River. From then on, “fishing” became a metaphor for seclusion.
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