寻隐者不遇 · Seeking the Hermit in Vain — 贾岛 (Tang Dynasty)

松下问童子

sōng xià wèn tóng zǐ

言师采药去

yán shī cǎi yào qù

只在此山中

zhǐ zài cǐ shān zhōng

云深不知处

yún shēn bù zhī chù

English translation

Under a pine I asked the boy — / "My master has gone gathering herbs. / He is somewhere in this mountain, / but the clouds are too deep to tell."

A tiny dialogue poem: the poet asks a boy where the hermit is. "Somewhere in these clouds." Zen in four lines.

Learn 20 characters from this poem with stroke-order animations, tone drills and quizzes in the free app.