I dwell among green hills and someone asks me why;
My mind care free, I smile and give him no reply.
Peach petals fallen on running water pass by,
This is an earthly paradise beneath the sky.
Original Poem
「山中问答」
李白
问余何意栖碧山，笑而不答心自闲。
桃花流水窅然去，别有天地非人间。
Interpretation
Composed during Li Bai's early seclusion at Baizhao Mountain in Anlu, this poem responds to worldly inquiries with Chan-like wisdom. Confronting societal incomprehension, the poet crafts not merely a physical hermitage but an advanced philosophy of spiritual existence. Its insights shine with even greater relevance in today's digital age, offering a timeless blueprint for meaningful living.
First Couplet: "问余何意栖碧山，笑而不答心自闲。"
Wèn yú hé yì qī bì shān, xiào ér bù dá xīn zì xián.
You ask why I dwell in emerald peaks; Smiling wordless, my heart rests at ease.
This couplet reveals the poet's transcendent stance toward worldly skepticism. "Smiling wordless" embodies profound silence—both a gentle rejection of utilitarian values and recognition of language's limitations. True life experience, like drinking water, is known only to oneself. Such silence constitutes spiritual fortitude, offering wisdom to resist information overload in our clamorous digital era.
Second Couplet: "桃花流水窅然去，别有天地非人间。"
Táohuā liúshuǐ yǎo rán qù, bié yǒu tiāndì fēi rénjiān.
Peach blossoms flow downstream, far and deep; A realm beyond mortal world lies in sleep.
Through concrete imagery, the poet unveils his spiritual world. "Peach blossoms on flowing water" are not just scenery but poetic symbols of time and life's flow. "A realm beyond mortal world" clarifies his pursuit—a spiritual pureland within the mundane world. This isn't escape but creative dwelling, constructing dimensional life experience within shared physical space.
Holistic Appreciation
The poem's brilliance lies in building a complete spiritual ecosystem. The first couplet cultivates inner refinement—"smiling wordless" transcends worldly fame, "heart at ease" guards internal order. The second couplet manifests external confirmation—"peach blossoms flow" harmonizes with nature's rhythm, "beyond mortal world" marks the spiritual homeland's completion. This inside-out unity creates a self-sufficient, abundant life realm.
Artistic Merits
- Structural Dialogue Tension: Beginning with a question and answering through imagery creates unique aesthetic tension, guiding readers from external dialogue to internal reflection.
- Masterful Use of Negative Space: "Smiling wordless" creates meaningful silence, inviting readers to co-construct poetic meaning.
- Zen-Infused Imagery: Elevates "peach blossoms on water" from mere scenery to philosophy-laden symbols with transcendent meaning.
- Natural Yet Precise Language: Seemingly plain speech undergoes careful refinement, with each character bearing rich connotations.
Insights
This 8th-century poem offers strikingly contemporary spiritual wisdom for 21st-century life. In today's attention economy, the act of "smiling wordless" teaches us to cultivate an internal "information immune system"—when algorithmic precision and social media's emotional demands permeate daily existence, maintaining spiritual distance and practicing selective silence becomes a wise defense against overload. In an accelerating society, the image of "peach blossoms flowing deep away" reminds us to reclaim life's natural rhythm—resisting the pressures of involution may require finding our own flow like water rather than spinning faster. Most importantly, in our hybrid virtual-physical reality, the concept of "a realm beyond the mortal world" guides us in constructing "spiritual enclaves." We need not abandon urban life—we can create private sanctuaries through music during subway commutes, or greet dawn light through an east-facing window while working from home. These small poetic practices represent modern equivalents of "dwelling in emerald peaks." Li Bai's wisdom reveals: in this age of technological rationality, we need more than ever the spiritual capacity to be "fully present yet transcendent"—engaging modern life while preserving inner independence, maintaining clarity amid digital noise, and guarding our flow states within the technological landscape.
Poem translator
Xu Yuanchong(许渊冲)
About the poet
Li Bai (李白), 701 - 762 A.D., whose ancestral home was in Gansu, was preceded by Li Guang, a general of the Han Dynasty. Tang poetry is one of the brightest constellations in the history of Chinese literature, and one of the brightest stars is Li Bai.
