Deer enclosure wang wei biography
[Poem] DEER ENCLOSURE - A serene glimpse of solitude and hidden presence
Deer Enclosure - Wang Wei
/鹿柴 - 王维/
Illumination and Echoes in the Silent Woods
鹿柴
Deer Enclosure
空山不见人,
In the empty mountains, no one is to be seen,
但闻人语响。
Yet human voices softly resonate in the air.
返景入深林,
Reflected sunlight enters the deep forest,
复照青苔上。
To shine once more upon the green moss.
In “Deer Enclosure,” Wang Wei presents a tranquil, almost mystical moment within the stillness of an uninhabited mountain setting. At first glance, the poem describes a scene where no person is visible, emphasizing the emptiness of the landscape. However, faint human voices echo, indicating that even though people remain unseen, life subtly permeates this secluded realm. This juxtaposition underscores a key theme in Wang Wei’s poetry: the silent harmony between nature’s deep quiet and the distant presence of human activity.
A crucial image is the sunlight that penetrates the dense foliage—this r