I take a view of pines up on a mountain
Peak a long distance away;
Evergreen are the needles that dress
The winter in a tone of verdure.
Often by going for a stroll
Along the foothill
I feast my eyes on the emerald branches,
Some hundreds of thousands feet high;
I'd like to soar into the sky
Yet fail to ascend;
Then what else can I do but wait for
The Flying Immortal Wang Qiao?
O time and tide will make nothing
Easy for me;
Save Heaven's will to have my head
Always in the clouds!
In masterly executed verses, the poetess set forth her philosophical view of the lofty, venerable character of the pine and the tranquil atmosphere it creates. She calls to her aid the mythological figure of Wang Qiao, who is said to have been one of the sons of Emperor Ling(571-545 B.C.) of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, who was eventually deified as a celestial being. The metaphysical figures of speech Xie Daoyun uses in her poem were in vogue when it was written.
