As readers, we feel the feelings of the poet, which are reflected by the carefree, unplanned, and ethereal clouds. Since he has reached the end of the brook, he decided that he might as well sit down and enjoy the beautiful view of the rising clouds. It showed how much Wang Wei enjoyed spending time in the nature. Wang Wei strolled along a mountain brook at leisure and before he knew it he had traced it to its origin.

This must be why Wang Wei wrote, “I savor the pleasant feelings with no one.” What he was truly saying is: “If only I could share this wonderful feeling with someone!” It must have been a very beautiful and profound feeling, but Wang Wei found it hard to share it with others who were not in the same realm. He often took lengthy strolls in the woods alone to experience the feeling of being an integral part of the nature. Instead, he delicately and yet profoundly portrayed his feelings as a Buddhist cultivator during his cultivation practice. Wang Wei did not describe his perception of the society or his friends. Since then, he had lived as a recluse and concentrated on his Buddhist cultivation practice. At about age 50, Wang Wei acquired a villa at the foot of Mount Zhongnan in Wangchuan, Lantian. He once lived with a contemporary poet, Chu Guangyi, in seclusion at Mount Zhongnan. Wang Wei is believed to have remained at the monastery until his death in 759Īt the age of 40, Wang Wei became a devoted Buddhist. Much of his work gives an insight into the weekend countryside retreats that many courtiers used to escape the pressure of high society court protocol and teach us the value of nature through the Buddhist perception. Wang Wei was an admirer of the poet Tao Yuanmin (or Tao Qian), and a similar although slightly more refined style, can clearly be seen. This leads him to be described as the first master of atmosphere and the foremost poet of the great Tang dynasty. In Wang Wei’s poetry the landscape is clearly seen through the eyes of the painter and, written mainly in quatrains, his descriptions of mountains, valleys and the rare contact with other people is displayed in very concrete images.

He also served in court as a high-ranking official until the death of his wife when he retired to a Buddhist monastery. The Chinese poet, painter and musician Wang Wei (699-759 A.D.) was one of the greatest poets of the golden age of Chinese poetry, the Tang dynasty (618-907 A.D.).

I chat and laugh, forgetting to return home. Then I sit down and watch the rising clouds. I savor the pleasant feelings with no one. When I am in the mood for an outing, I wander alone in the woods. I decided to live the rest of my life at the foot of Mount Zhongnan. In my mid life I began to love the Buddha Law.

The poetry of wang wei