Autumn Twilight, Dwelling Among Mountains
In empty mountains after the new rains,
it’s late. Sky-ch’i has brought autumn –
bright moon incandescent in the pines,
crystalline stream slipping across rocks.
Bamboo rustles: homeward washerwomen.
Lotuses waver: a boat gone downstream.
Spring blossoms wither away by design,
but a distant recluse can stay on and on.
— Wang Wei, translated by David Hinton.
