On Wan Wei's 'Reply to Chang Yin'

by James Thurgood

Editor's note: Wang Wei was a great 8th century poet of the Liang Dynasty in China, known for his evocation of nature. A Buddhist/Taoist comtemplative, he favoured rural retreats, from where he communicated with friends and contemporaries across China.

 

we aren’t told if Chang Yin did visit -

if Wang Wei really thought he might,

which I doubt: the invitation is too off-hand,

too wistful, as if turned down

more than once before                                  

anyway, should you make it

this far north, you’ve got a place to stay

- we’ll sit out under the maple trees

and talk about other Chinese poems