In Returning to Live in the South, (Part II),
Tao Qian writes,
I sow my beans below the Southern hills,
Though grasses flourish, the sprouting beans are scarce.
So I rise at dawn to clear the land ... and beneath the moon I carry my hoe.
But the path is narrow ... the trees and grass have all grown tall.
By evening my clothes are now dampened with dew.
Yet dampened clothes are nothing to despise ... if only ....
my true desires may someday be fulfilled.
Beneath the Moon I Carry my Hoe
As a simple tale of a poor farmer's adventurous trip home .... this poem embodies the basic pleasures of a poet who chose to live his life ... closer rather farther ... from the land.
A sense of solitude, simplicity and a deep appreciation for natural beauty are his greatest needs.
And with a simple touch he is able to express the essential elements of a philosophy .... that few have ever been able to fully explain.
With this in mind it is certainly a pity that Tao Qian was seldom appreciated in his own day.
Yet he later became an esteemed figure during China's Tang Dynasty.
At present he is considered one of China's greatest poets. But at the age of forty one ... Tao Qian quit his post as a minor government official.
And as he eventually returned home ... he was inspired by the natural beauty of the legendary Lu Mountain.
Situated in Southern Jiangsu province, Lu Mountain is a familiar sight in Chinese literature.
Waterfalls, mists, clouds, rain and snow are just some of the breathtaking images associated with this enchanted place.
Gerald Marchewka is an American freelance writer currently living in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. He may be reached at
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