Seeking But Not Finding the Recluse

Under the pine
I ask the boy;
He says: “My Mistress is gone
To gather herbs.
I only know
She’s in those mountains,
In those deep clouds,
But I don’t know where.”

Jia Dao (779 CE-843 CE), Jia Dao courtesy name Langxian (浪仙), was a Chinese Buddhist monk and poet active during the Tang dynasty. He was born near modern Beijing; after a period as a Buddhist monk, he went to Chang'an. He became one of Han Yu's disciples,