Returning to the Village

Few harmonize with the vulgar world, My nature loves hills and mountains. Mistakenly I fell into the dusty net, Once gone, thirteen years passed.

I never fit the common world, Mountains and fields are what I love. By error caught in life's dusty snare, Thirteen years vanished like a dream.

Tao Yuanming is one of China's most beloved poets, famous for retiring from official life to become a gentleman farmer. This poem is from his 'Returning to the Garden and Field' series, written after he quit his government post to return to rural life. His work celebrates simplicity, nature, and authenticity, rejecting the corruption and pretense of officialdom. His choice inspired countless later poets and scholars who dreamed of escaping worldly concerns.