Tang Dynasty
Visiting the Daoist of Daitian Mountain but Not Finding Him
Li Bai
犬吠水声中，桃花带露浓。
树深时见鹿，溪午不闻钟。
野竹分青霭，飞泉挂碧峰。
无人知所去，愁倚两三松。
Translation
Amid the sound of running water, a dog barks. Peach blossoms, heavy with dew, glow with deeper color. In the deep woods, deer appear from time to time. By the stream at noon, no temple bell is heard. Wild bamboo parts the blue mist; a flying waterfall hangs from the green peak. No one knows where the Daoist has gone. In quiet disappointment, I lean against two or three pines.
Analysis
This poem describes Li Bai's visit to a Daoist on Daitian Mountain, only to find him absent. The title says 'not encountered,' but the poem's real richness lies in what the poet encounters instead: a secluded mountain world. The opening couplet is full of immediate sensory detail. A dog barks amid the sound of water, suggesting that a dwelling or temple is nearby. Peach blossoms are wet with dew, their color deepened by moisture. Sound and color appear together, making the mountain scene vivid from the start. The second couplet deepens the sense of seclusion. Deer occasionally appear in the dense woods, a sign that human presence is sparse. At noon by the stream, no bell is heard. A Daoist temple might normally be associated with ritual sound, but here there is silence. The absence of the bell quietly foreshadows the absence of the Daoist. The third couplet opens the landscape visually. Wild bamboo seems to divide the blue mist; a waterfall appears to hang from a green peak. The verbs are precise and strong. 'Part' gives the bamboo a shaping force within the mist, while 'hang' turns the waterfall into a suspended white form against the mountain. Only in the final couplet does the poem return directly to the failed visit. No one knows where the Daoist has gone, and the poet leans sadly against a few pines. This sadness is not heavy grief. It is the mild disappointment of a search that ends without meeting, softened by the beauty of the mountains. The poem is effective because 'not meeting' becomes another kind of meeting. Li Bai fails to meet the Daoist, but he meets water, peach blossoms, deer, bamboo, mist, waterfall, and pines. The human absence allows the mountain's quiet presence to become stronger.
About the Author
Li Bai, courtesy name Taibai and literary name Qinglian Jushi, was one of the greatest poets of the Tang dynasty and is often called the 'Poet Immortal.' His ancestral home is traditionally given as Chengji in Longxi, though some accounts say he was born in Suyab in Central Asia. Li Bai spent much of his life traveling and became known for his bold imagination, natural fluency, romantic spirit, and love of freedom. His poetry ranges across landscape, Daoist transcendence, wine, friendship, history, frontier life, and personal aspiration. His representative works include 'Bring in the Wine,' 'The Road to Shu Is Hard,' 'Quiet Night Thoughts,' 'Setting Out Early from Baidi City,' and 'Viewing the Waterfall at Mount Lu.' 'Visiting the Daoist of Daitian Mountain but Not Finding Him' shows his fresh and quietly secluded landscape style.