Inscribed on Master Huyin's Wall I ​​de Wang Anshi

The thatch eaves purge all moss-DNA,​​
​​Flowers stand in military rows—his hand's array.​​
​​One river court-martials fields with green siege,​​
​​Two mountains kick down doors with chlorophyll brigades.​

Texto original

「书湖阴先生壁 · 其一」
茅檐长扫净无苔，花木成畦手自栽。
一水护田将绿绕，两山排闼送青来。

王安石

Antigua práctica

Composed during the Yuanfeng era (1079-1082) of the Northern Song Dynasty, this poem was written after Wang Anshi's resignation as chancellor and retreat to Zhongshan in Jinling. During this period, he developed a close friendship with his neighbor Yang Defeng, known by his literary name "Lake Yin Hermit," with whom he frequently exchanged poetic tributes. This work was spontaneously inscribed on Yang's wall following a visit, celebrating both the serenity of his dwelling and the purity of his character, while simultaneously revealing Wang's own tranquil state of mind after withdrawing from worldly affairs.

First Couplet: "茅檐长扫净无苔，花木成畦手自栽。"
Máo yán cháng sǎo jìng wú tái, huā mù chéng qí shǒu zì zāi.
Thatched eaves, swept daily—no moss lingers;
flowers and trees stand in rows, planted by his hand.

This couplet paints the courtyard's meticulous order, reflecting the host's disciplined lifestyle. "Swept daily" (长扫) conveys habitual care, while "planted by his hand" (手自栽) emphasizes self-reliant cultivation. The absence of moss symbolizes spiritual purity, and the organized flora suggests a life of intentional harmony. Here, environment becomes moral portrait—the clean lines of the garden mirroring the straightness of the hermit's character.

Second Couplet: "一水护田将绿绕，两山排闼送青来。"
Yī shuǐ hù tián jiāng lǜ rào, liǎng shān pái tà sòng qīng lái.
A stream guards fields, coiling emerald round them;
twin mountains thrust through gates, bearing verdure in.

Transitioning to the broader landscape, this couplet animates nature with protective and hospitable qualities. The stream "guards" (护) and "coils" (绕) like a nurturing embrace, while mountains "thrust through gates" (排闼) as unannounced yet welcome guests. This personification achieves two effects: it demonstrates nature's active communion with virtuous human habitation, and it suggests that exemplary living attracts natural benedictions. The chromatic interplay of "emerald" (绿) and "verdure" (青) creates a layered visual symphony.

Holistic Appreciation

Through meticulous depiction of domestic and natural environments, the poem constructs an ideal of eremitic living where human virtue and natural beauty exist in reciprocal enhancement. Wang's genius lies in making architectural details (thatched eaves, garden rows) and topographic features (stream, mountains) serve as ethical indicators—the cleanliness of the dwelling reflects the hermit's mental clarity, while the landscape's responsiveness confirms his moral alignment with cosmic principles.

The poem progresses from human industry to natural generosity, tracing a continuum between cultivated order and spontaneous wilderness. This movement mirrors Wang's own philosophical journey—from the rigorous reforms of his chancellorship to his later embrace of Daoist-informed retirement. The "mountains bearing verdure" symbolize how transcendent values actively enter and enrich a properly ordered life.

Artistic Merits

• Ethical scenography:
  Domestic and natural elements function as moral symbols—the moss-free eaves represent uncorrupted integrity, while the "guarding stream" embodies protective virtue.
• Kinetic personification:
  The mountains' dramatic entrance ("thrust through gates") transforms passive scenery into dynamic participants, suggesting nature's eager communion with virtuous humans.
• Chromatographic philosophy:
  The progression from colorless thatch to "emerald" and "verdure" visually tracks the poem's thematic movement from human effort to natural plenitude.
• Structural reciprocity:
  The couplets mirror each other—human cultivation of flowers answered by nature's cultivation of fields; swept eaves reciprocated by mountains "sweeping in" with greenery.

Insights

Wang's poem articulates an ecological philosophy where human dwelling, properly ordered, becomes a conduit for natural beneficence. The thatched cottage's cleanliness attracts the landscape's gifts much as moral purity attracts cosmic harmony—an ancient Chinese vision of "mutual resonance between heaven and humanity" (天人感应).

For contemporary readers, this work suggests that sustainable living requires both human diligence ("swept daily") and humble receptivity to nature's offerings ("mountains bearing verdure"). The poem's deepest insight lies in its demonstration that true environmental harmony begins with inner order—when we cultivate our spiritual "eaves," the "mountains" of the world will rush to greet us.

Wang's inscription thus transcends mere compliment to become a manifesto for ethical habitation of the earth, where every swept threshold and planted row acknowledges our covenant with the natural world.

Sobre el poeta​

Wang Anshi (1021 - 1086), natural de Linchuan, Jiangxi, fue un destacado político, literato y pensador de la dinastía Song del Norte, considerado uno de los "Ocho Grandes Maestros de la Prosa de Tang y Song". Como impulsor de las "Reformas Xining", su obra literaria también encarnó un espíritu innovador. Sus ensayos, de lógica rigurosa y estilo incisivo, incluyen Lectura de la Biografía de Mengchang, que en solo 88 caracteres subvierte los discursos históricos tradicionales, mostrando la agudeza de un teórico político. Su poesía alcanzó especial profundidad: sus primeros versos, llenos de lenguaje heroico, revelaban el ímpetu reformista. Aunque escasos, sus ci abrieron nuevos caminos en la reflexión histórica. Su prosa y poesía combinaron profundidad intelectual y valor artístico, y las más de 1,500 obras conservadas en Colección de Linchuan erigen un monumento a la innovación literaria Song.