I built my house in inhabited surroundings,
But there is no noise of carriages and horses.
Do you know how this may be?
When the heart is remote, solitude comes.
I pluck chrysanthemums by the eastern fence
and see the distant southern mountains.
The mountain air is fresh at dusk.
Flying birds return in flocks.
In these things there lies a great truth,
But when I try to express it, I cannot find the words.
Tao Yuan-ming
Remote Heart II
for orchestra of traditional Chinese instruments
ISCM WMD 2018 Beijing
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