Book of Songs
考槃
佚名
Dú mèi wù yán, yǒng shǐ fú xuān.
Dú mèi wù gē, yǒng shǐ fú guò.
Dú mèi wù sù, yǒng shǐ fú gào.
Translation
He has made his retreat beside the ravine; the noble man lives there in ease and breadth. Sleeping alone, waking to speak to himself, he vows never to forget this life. He has made his retreat on the hillside; the noble man lives there at peace. Sleeping alone, waking to sing, he vows never to pass beyond it. He has made his retreat on the high ground; the noble man remains firm as an axle. Sleeping alone, waking and dwelling there, he vows never to tell his heart to the world.
Analysis
“Kao Pan” is often read as a poem of reclusion. Its three settings — ravine, hillside, and high ground — create a movement away from the public world into a quieter inner space. Whether “kao pan” is understood as building a place of rest or as a form of self-entertaining music, the poem presents a life withdrawn from noise and settled in nature. The “noble man” is not merely physically large. He has breadth of spirit and firmness of character. The words associated with him — ease, contentment, firmness — trace the inner condition of one who has chosen solitude. He sleeps alone, wakes to speak, sings, or remains quietly in place. His solitude is not emptiness; it is a chosen independence. The final vows — never to forget, never to leave, never to tell — deepen the poem’s sense of inwardness. The recluse turns away from external recognition and keeps faith with his own way of life. “Kao Pan” is therefore a quiet poem, but not a weak one. Its strength lies in composure, self-possession, and the refusal to depend on the world’s approval.
About the Author
“Kao Pan” is an anonymous poem from the Airs of Wey in the Book of Songs. The Wey poems include songs of love, ritual life, social criticism, and personal feeling. “Kao Pan” is distinctive because it turns away from public affairs and presents the inner life of a recluse. Though its author is unknown, the poem became important for later readings of reclusion, self-possession, and independence in Chinese literary culture.