Sit with me on Cold Mountain

Climbing up Cold Mountain, the trail winds on and on
Through, around, over huge boulders
Creeks shroud the grass with mist
The moss is slippery, but not from rain
The pines sing their song, but not from wind.
Come with me.
On mountain tops
We’ll leave the world behind
Among white clouds
We’ll listen to soundless music.
- Han-shan

 . . .

In the cities, one reality.
In the mountains another.
On top of mountains, among white clouds
Sit with me. Together we’ll listen
To the quiet.
- Heron Dance journal note.

Han-shan's Cold Mountain poems speak to those who seek refuge from the noise of the world—an invitation into Taoist solitude, where silence becomes a teacher and the mountain path itself becomes meditation. These translations honor the hermit tradition of wu wei and the practice of dwelling in natural quiet.

What does Han-shan's silence ask of us?

Han-shan—Cold Mountain—was a legendary Taoist hermit monk of the 8th and 9th century, known for his profound poetry written in solitude on Mount Tiantai. His verses, often found inscribed on rocks, trees, and monastery walls, invite us into the silence of high places—where mist, moss, and pine become teachers, and the path itself becomes practice. The Cold Mountain poems serve as a bridge between the tangible world and the ethereal, leading readers into the heart of Taoist philosophy and Zen contemplation.