寒山(生卒年不详),字、号均不详,唐代长安(今陕西西安)人。出身于官宦人家,多次投考不第,后出家,三十岁后隐居于浙东天台山,享年一百多岁。这位富有神话色彩的唐代诗人,曾经一度被世人冷落,然而随着二十世纪的到来,其诗却越来越多地被世人接受并广泛流传。
《默默永无言》 寒山
默默永无言,后生何所述。
隐居在林薮,智日何由出。
枯槁非坚卫,风霜成夭疾。
土牛耕石田,未有得稻日。
Consequences
Pretending to be mute, committing no brush to ink
Will give posterity little to weigh.
Your seclusion, your humble withdrawal to the bog
Will give your wisdom a sodden taste.
No one nods approvingly at your wrinkles
Or thinks youve weathered winters well.
It is the harvest men revere,
Not the clay oxen in a stony field.