The Red Bean Ballad: The Legend of Wang Wei

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In the bleak, cold wind, Wang Wei silently gazed at Zhang Jiuling, his thoughts tangled like creeping vines.

"See him out." Zhang Jiuling turned away, the corner of his mouth curling into a cold smile.

Back in the day, Wang Wei, you were as handsome as a jade tree and as dazzling as a gem. Princess Yuzhen was so infatuated with you that you took the top scholar spot that should have gone to my younger brother, Zhang Jiugao. How could I possibly let you get away with it now?

A Collator? Was that supposed to be revenge? Wang Wei was not pleased.

"If this happens again, return to Zhongnan Mountain!" Emperor Xuanzong roared in anger.

Working right under My nose, and you still dare to invite Meng Haoran over for a private chat. Wang Wei, are you so dissatisfied because you think a Collator ranks below the Director of the Imperial Music Bureau, or that I am wasting your talents on a lesser post?

Wang Wei stood before Zhongnan Mountain, free of thoughts and grievances, desires and anger.

He had enjoyed youthful success, struggled with the burdens of office, and retreated to a life of seclusion. Perhaps that was all life amounted to.

They called him the Poet Buddha, a master, a talent. Yet all that had shaped this life could never be relived.

During the An Lushan Rebellion, he was denounced as a traitor, yet granted an amnesty. He had committed countless wrongs, and knew well the honors and humiliations he had endured.

At last, Wang Wei laid down his brush and passed away, his life as an immortal ending at sixty-one.

People remember only this:

The first person to link red beans with longing was Wang Wei.

But these red beans were not the kind used as food. They were the fruit of a poisonous tree, known as lovesick berries.

The man whose handsome bearing helped him rise in officialdom was Wang Wei.

With fine wine and the sound of the pipa, Princess Yuzhen's admiration for him blossomed. She became his patron and helped him rise to prominence.

The man whose poetry could be fresh and delicate, and whose Zen writings brimmed with insight, was Wang Wei.

His poems moved between vivid awareness of the self and serene detachment from it. Poetry and Zen flowed together in graceful, vibrant harmony. The concepts of literati painting and Zen-inspired calligraphy took shape with Wang Wei.

The man who was not only refined, but also bold and uninhibited, was Wang Wei.

At Xiao Pass, he met a mounted scout: the Protector General was at Yanran.

Fine wine in Xinfeng cost ten thousand coins a jug. How many young knights roamed Xianyang?

Come, friend, drink one more cup. Beyond Yang Pass, you will find no old acquaintances.

Note:

1. The life of the poet Wang Wei

2. A glimpse into the shifting tides of the Tang court and literary world

True romance: Wang Wei, the gifted poet, painter, and Zen master, x Princess Yuzhen, an elite headhunter

True friendship: Li Bai, the bold and uninhibited Poet Immortal, vs. Wang Lun, the Tang Dynasty's most extraordinary oddball

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Screenshot saved as proof on October 29, 2024

Theme: Explore the Zen-inspired life of Wang Wei, the gifted and handsome poet with a Buddhist spirit, and seek inner peace and freedom