Poem on the Wandering Immortal1
Kuo P’u (276–324)
Kingfishers frolic among the orchid blossoms,
each form and hue lending freshness to the others.
Green creepers twine over the tall grove,
4 their leafy darkness shadowing the whole hill.
And in the midst, a man of quiet retirement
softly whistles, strokes the clear lute strings,
frees his thoughts to soar beyond the blue,
8 munches flower stamens, dips from a waterfall.
When Red Pine2 appears, roaming on high,
this man rides a stork, mounting the purple mists,
his left hand holding Floating Hill’s sleeve,
12 his right hand patting Vast Cliff on the shoulder.
Let me ask those short-lived mayflies,
what could they know of the years of the tortoise and the crane?
Translated by Burton Watson
The poet was a Taoist mystic, geomancer, collector of strange tales, editor of old texts, and erudite commentator. Kuo P’u was the first commentator of the Mountains and Seas Classic (Shan-hai ching) and so probably, with the noted Han bibliographer Liu Hsin (d. 23), was instrumental in preserving this valuable mythological and religious text (see second poem in selection 20).
1. The word for “immortal” (hsien) is elsewhere in this anthology sometimes translated as “transcendent.” Neither translation is entirely satisfactory for rendering this technical term which signifies someone highly accomplished in various Taoist arts for prolonging life. Translations such as “fairy” or “god” are even less suitable.
2. Red Pine, Floating Hill, and Vast Cliff are all legendary immortals of ancient times.