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 you’ve weathered winters well.
It is the harvest men revere,
Not the clay oxen in a stony field.