The Middling Recluse

The great recluse lives in the capital city

The small recluse withdraws to a cave in the mountains,
In the mountain cave it’s too cold and too sad
In the capital city it’s too noisy and too crowded;
Best of all is to be a middling recluse
To withdraw and still keep a government post,
Like going out and yet staying in place
Not too much bother and not complete idleness;
Not to burden the heart and not to tire the body
And yet not to suffer cold and hunger,
A whole year with no public affairs
Month after month a steady wage.

Do you enjoy climbing to gaze upon the view?
South of the city there are hills for an autumn day;
Do you love strolling in the shade among the pools?
East of the city the gardens bloom in spring;
Do you want, now and then, to drink till drunk?
You can find, here and there, not bad little parties.
In Luoyang there are many decent people
With whom you can talk and rejoice without worry;
But if you want to sleep all day long
All you need to do is close the gate,
And then you won’t be surprised by courtesy visits
No carriages and horses will stand before your door.

Human beings live only once
And it’s hard to hold both ends of the stick,
He who is below suffers cold and hunger
And he who is above has many worries;
The middling recluse, he alone
Has good fortune and has peace of mind,
Between failure and success, want and plenty
Between these four, right in the middle.

(Bai Juyi, 772-846, translated by Dan Daor)