In my old days only calmness suits me

Mundane matters  no longer hassle the brain

No major project frames my thought

I go back to the old fir-woods

Where the wind whispers, I loosen my sash

Moonlight touches the hill, me and my lute

You question my ultimate insight, I answer

From pure water the fisherman sings

 

Wang Wei
699 – 759

 

Rewritten on the basis of several translations, October 2013