鹿 柴
王维
空山不见人，
但闻人语响。
返景入深林，
复照青苔上。
'' I see no soul in the empty hill, / Only hear the chatting of occasional passers-by. / A few beams of the setting sun penetrate the thick woods, / Bathing the moss-grown land. ''
This poem was written by Wang Wei, a Tang Dynasty poet, to praise the beauty and tranquility of Luzhai, a scenic spot in present Lantian County of Shaanxi Province. Luzhai is the place where Wang spent his secluded life in a large mansion in thick forests during his old age.
Wang was sitting on the quiet hill covered by thick woods. From where he could hardly see a man for days. Such an atmosphere of quietness was broken only occasionally by the sound of chatting passers-by. When the sound of chatting disappeared, the place seemed to be even quieter then before. During the day, the boet could never see the sunlight because of the thick woods overhead. That was why the ground was grown with moss. Only when the sun was setting, could a few sun beams slant into the dense forests like a lightening in the dark sky, bringing some light to the moss-grown ground.
Wang was a very versatile man of arts with profound knowledge and exquisite skills in poetry, music and painting. In this short poem, he used the expressions of the sound of chatting passers-by and the light of the setting sun to emphasize by contrast the tranquility of the hill and the thickness of the woods. Such a tranquil environment was ideal for Wang who resenten unfair politics and secluded himself from the world.