Return To Nature (I)
by Tao Yuanming
While young, I was not used to worldly cares,
And hills became my natural compeers,
But by mistakes I fell in mundane snares
And thus entangled was for thirty years.
A caged bird would long for wonted wood,
And fish in tanks for native pools would yearn.
Go back to till my southern fields I would.
To live a rustic life why not return?
My plot of ground is but ten acres square;
My thatched cottage has eight or nine rooms.
In front I have peach trees here and plums there;
O’er back eaves willow trees and elms cast glooms.
A village can be seen in distant dark,
Where plumes of smoke rise and waft in the breeze.
In alley deep a dog is heard to bark,
And cocks crow as if o’er mulberry trees.
Into my courtyard no one should intrude,
Nor rob my private rooms of peace and leisure.
After long years of abject servitude,
Again in nature I find homely pleasure.
归园田居(其一)
陶渊明
少无适俗韵, 性本爱丘山。
误落尘网中, 一去十三年。
羁鸟恋旧林, 池鱼思故渊。
开荒南野际, 守拙归园田。
方宅十余亩, 草屋八九间。
榆柳荫后檐, 桃李罗堂前。
暖暖远人村, 依依圩里烟。
狗吠深巷中, 鸡鸣桑树巅。
户庭无尘杂, 虚室有余闲。
久在樊笼里, 复得返自然。
Hi, stunning pictures! May I know whether you translated the poem? It is one of the poems I recited when I was a child; a poem written into my retirement card by my ex-colleagues. I love it very much. Regards, Michael
Hi Michael,
I wish, actually I found it online here->
http://history.cultural-china.com/en/60History10333.html
such a beautiful poem, I relate to it a lot also!
Glad you enjoyed the blog post, it looks like a truly magical place. Planning to go there in 2013/2014 =)
Peace,
Melisa
Hi Melisa, thanks for the quick response. One thing caught my eyes was that there is a mistake in this version of the poem. . . .”thus entangled was for thirteen years”; the original poem is for 30 years. . . . I have just checked it out and confirmed my childhood memory is correct. By the way, I also have a post under my blog http://www.wordpress.retireediary.com on JiuZhaiGou. You are welcome to peruse. Regards, Michael
ah, well spotted! I wil change that now
I just tried the link but it isn’t working for some reason.. will try again later 
Thank-you! Melisa