訪不遇

訪戴天山道士不遇

李白

犬吠水聲中，桃花帶露濃。
樹深時見鹿，溪午不聞鍾。
野竹分青靄，飛泉掛碧峰。
無人知所去，愁倚兩三松。

“訪不遇” is unlikely to happen in our time as we have all the modern
communication systems, such as cell phone, e-mail etc., and we
always make “appointment” before we are going to visit someone.
Besides, we don’t have too much of the “leisure” time as did 李白 in
his time.

However, I don’t think 李白 would really mind his
“訪戴天山道士不遇”, because he had actually enjoyed all the
beautiful nature things all along the way to visit the 道士, even he
missed him.

He heard the 犬吠 and 水聲. He saw 桃花 which were 帶露濃. He got
into 樹深 and often encountered with the deers (時見鹿). Although
it was already noon time when he was walking by the creek and he
不聞鍾 (because the 道士 wasn’t home), he saw the wild bamboo,
which was 分青靄, and he saw the 飛泉, which was hanging on the
碧峰. Of course there was nobody around to tell him where the 道士
was, but he was still expecting some possible hope by leaning to
兩三松 thoughtfully waiting.

There were other "訪不遇"s or "尋不遇"s such as :

賈島 尋隱者不遇

松下問童子，言師採藥去；
只在此山中，雲深不知處。

孟浩然 訪袁拾遺不遇

洛陽訪才子， 江嶺作流人；
聞說梅花草，何如此地春。

李中 訪洞神宮邵道者不遇

閒來仙觀問希夷，雲滿星壇水滿池。
羽客不知何處去，洞前花落立多時。

丘為 尋西山隱者不遇

絕頂一茅茨，直上三十里。
扣關無僮僕，窺室唯案幾。
若非巾柴車，應是釣秋水。
差池不相見，黽勉空仰止。
草色新雨中，松聲晚牕裏。
及茲契幽絕，自足蕩心耳。
雖無賓主意，頗得清淨理。
興盡方下山，何必待之子。

僧皎然 尋陸鴻漸不遇

移家雖帶郭，野徑入桑麻。
近種籬邊菊，秋來未著花。
扣門無犬吠，欲去問西家。
報到山中去，歸來每日斜。

韋莊《訪潯陽友人不遇》

不見安期悔上樓，寂寥人對鷺鷥愁。
蘆花雨急江煙暝，何處潺潺獨棹舟。

許渾《王秀才自越見尋不遇，題詩而回，因以酬寄》

南齋知數宿，半為木蘭開。晴閣留詩遍，春帆載酒回。
煙深揚子宅，雲斷越王台。自有孤舟興，何妨更一來。


陳子昂 酬田逸人遊巖見尋不遇題隱居里壁

遊人獻書去，薄暮返靈臺。
傳道尋仙友，青囊賣卜來。
聞鶯忽相訪，題鳳久裴回。
石髓空盈握，金經祕不開。
還疑縫掖子，復似洛陽才。

錢起【郎員外見尋不遇】

軒騎來相訪，漁樵悔晚歸。
更怜垂露跡，花里點牆衣。

Although these ancient poets did not have the chance to meet with
the "隱者" ,"道者 or "友人", they seemed to be enjoying the nature
scenes along their journeys. They also felt "雖無賓主意，頗得清淨理",
or"興盡方下山，何必待之子"。


Yeh Tze