Wang Wei, one of Chinese literature's greatest poets, divided his time between the court and his country estate, where he drew inspiration from the mountains and solitude. His poetry affirms his belief in a whole natural order, and his delicately observed descriptions of landscapes are infused throughout with a sense of unity and Buddhist devotion. Yet it also bears testament to the tension Wang Wei experienced in his own life, between that unity and the worldly pleasures of life at court: the result is some of the most memorable poetry in Chinese literature.

Author Biography

Wang Wei (699-761 CE) is one of the greatest poets of Chinese literature. He was a devoted Buddhist. G. W. Robinson had a classical education up to the age of nineteen. He served in the army for six years during the Second World War, during which time he learned Japanese, going on later to study classical Chinese and the ancient history of Japan. After a year in Japan, he was for a short period a lecturer in Far Eastern History at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London.