陶淵明到世外桃源時寫下的詩是《桃花源記》。
《桃花源記》
朝代：魏晉時期 ? 作者：陶淵明
晉太元中，武陵人捕魚為業。緣溪行，忘路之遠近。忽逢桃花林，夾岸數百步，中無雜樹，芳草鮮美，落英繽紛，漁人甚異之。復前行，欲窮其林。
林盡水源，便得壹山，山有小口，仿佛若有光。便舍船，從口入。初極狹，才通人。復行數十步，豁然開朗。
土地平曠，屋舍儼然，有良田美池桑竹之屬。阡陌交通，雞犬相聞。其中往來種作，男女衣著，悉如外人。黃發垂髫，並怡然自樂。
見漁人，乃大驚，問所從來。具答之。便要還家，設酒殺雞作食。村中聞有此人，鹹來問訊。自雲先世避秦時亂，率妻子邑人來此絕境，不復出焉，遂與外人間隔。問今是何世，乃不知有漢，無論魏晉。
此人壹壹為具言所聞，皆嘆惋。余人各復延至其家，皆出酒食。停數日，辭去。此中人語雲：“不足為外人道也。”(間隔 壹作：隔絕)
既出，得其船，便扶向路，處處誌之。及郡下，詣太守，說如此。太守即遣人隨其往，尋向所誌，遂迷，不復得路。
南陽劉子驥，高尚士也，聞之，欣然規往。未果，尋病終，後遂無問津者。
譯文對照：
東晉太元年間，武陵有個人以打漁為生。（壹天）他沿著溪水劃船，忘記了路程的遠近。忽然遇到壹片桃林，在小溪兩岸幾百步之內，中間沒有別的樹，花草鮮嫩美麗，地上的落花繁多交雜。漁人對此感到十分詫異。便繼續往前走，想要走到林子的盡頭。
桃林的盡頭就是溪水的源頭，漁人發現了壹座小山，山上有個小洞口，洞裏隱隱約約的好像有點光亮。（漁人）便舍棄了船，從洞口進去。最初，山洞很狹窄，只容壹個人通過；又走了幾十步，突然變得開闊明亮了。
（呈現在漁人眼前的是）壹片平坦寬廣的土地，壹排排整齊的房舍，還有肥沃的田地、美麗的池塘，有桑樹、竹林這類的植物。田間小路交錯相通，雞鳴狗吠的聲音此起彼伏。在田野裏來來往往耕種勞作的人們，男女的穿著打扮和外面的人都壹樣。老人和小孩，都怡然並自得其樂。
（村裏的人）看見了漁人，感到非常驚訝，問他是從哪兒來的。（漁人）把自己知道的事都詳細的壹壹作了回答。村中人就邀請漁人到自己家裏去，擺了酒、殺了雞做飯來款待他。村子裏的人聽說來了這麽壹個人，都來打聽消息。
他們自己說他們的祖先為了躲避秦時的戰亂，領著妻子兒女和鄉鄰們來到這個與世人隔絕的地方，不再從這裏出去，所以跟桃花源外面的人斷絕了來往。（這裏的人）問如今是什麽朝代，他們竟然不知道有過漢朝，更不用說魏、晉兩朝了。
漁人把自己所知道的事壹壹詳細地告訴了他們。聽完，他們都感嘆惋惜。其余的人各自又把漁人邀請到自己家中，拿出酒菜來款待他。漁人逗留了幾天後，向村裏人告辭。村裏的人告訴他：“（這裏的情況）不值得對桃花源外的人說啊。”
（漁人）出來以後，找到了他的船，就順著來時的路回去，處處都做了記號。他到了郡城，去拜見太守，說了這番經歷。太守立即派人跟著他去，尋找先前所做的記號，最終迷路了，再也找不到通往桃花源的路了。
南陽有個名叫劉子驥的人，是位高尚的讀書人，他聽到這個消息，高興地計劃著前往桃花源。但是沒有實現，他不久就病死了。後來就再也沒有探訪桃花源的人了。
賞析：
本文通過對桃花源的安寧和樂、自由平等生活的描繪，表現了作者追求美好生活的理想和對現實生活的不滿。
文章開端，先以美好閑靜、“芳草鮮美，落英繽紛”的桃花林作為鋪墊，引出壹個質樸自然化的世界。在那裏，壹切都是那麽單純，那麽美好，沒有稅賦，沒有戰亂，沒有沽名釣譽，也沒有勾心鬥角。
甚至連壹點吵吵嚷嚷的聲音都聽不到。人與人之間的關系也是那麽平和，那麽誠懇。造成這壹切的原因，作者沒有明說，但從“乃不知有漢，無論魏晉”壹句中已隱約透露了消息：原來歸根結底，是因為沒有壹個高踞人民頭上為私利互相攻伐的統治集團。
這個幻想中的桃源世界，對生活在虛偽黑暗、戰亂頻繁、流血不斷的現實世界中的人們來說，無疑是令人神往的。作者的簡凈筆觸，恰如其分地表現出桃花源的氣氛，使文章更富有感染力。
當然，這種理想的境界在當時現實中是不存在的，只是作者通過對大同社會的構想，藝術地展現了大同社會的風貌，是不滿黑暗現實的壹種精神寄托，表現了作者對理想社會的憧憬以及對現實社會的不滿。
陶淵明成功地運用了虛景實寫的手法，使人感受到桃源仙境是壹個真實的存在，顯示出高超的敘事寫景的藝術才能。但《桃花源記》的藝術成就和魅力絕不僅限於此，陶淵明也不僅僅是企望人們確認其為真實的存在。
所以，在虛景實寫的同時，又實中有虛，有意留下幾處似無非無，似有非有，使人費盡猜想也無從尋求答案的話題。桃源人的叮囑和故事結尾安排的“不復得路”、“規往未果”等情節，虛虛實實，徜恍迷離，便是這些話題中最堪尋味之筆。
它所暗示於世人的是似在人間非在人間，不是人間勝似人間，只可於無意中得之而不可於有意中求之，似乎與“此中有真意，欲辨已忘言”有著某種微妙的內在聯系。這虛渺靈奧之區始終蒙著壹層神秘的面紗，“借問遊方士，焉測塵囂外”，世人是難以揭曉的。
它的開而復閉，漁人的得而復失，是陶淵明有意留下的千古之謎，“惹得詩人說到今”。可是，他又在《桃花源詩》中透露了壹點消息，說“壹朝敞神界”之所以“旋復還幽蔽”，乃是因為“淳薄既異源”！
原來桃源民風淳厚，人間世風澆薄，惟恐“使武陵太守至焉，化為爭奪之場”（蘇軾《和桃花源詩序》），玷汙了這塊化外的凈土，即使像劉子驥那樣的人間高尚之士，也得不到壹睹仙境的機緣。
擴展資料
《桃花源記》創作背景：
元熙二年（420年）六月，劉裕廢晉恭帝為零陵王，次年，劉裕采取陰謀手段，用毒酒殺害晉恭帝。這些不能不激起陶淵明思想的波瀾。他無法改變、也不願幹預這種現狀，只好借助創作來抒寫情懷，以寄托自己的政治理想與美好情趣。《桃花源記》就是在這樣的背景下產生的。
《桃花源記》英文對照：
Peach Blossom Shangri-la
During the Taiyuan era of the Jin Dynasty there was a man of Wuling who made his living as a fisherman. Once while following a stream he forgot how far he had gone. He suddenly came to a grove of blossoming peach trees. It lined both banks for several hundred paces and included not a single other kind of tree. Petals of the dazzling and fragrant blossoms were falling everywhere in profusion. Thinking this place highly unusual, the fisherman advanced once again in wanting to see how far it went.
The peach trees stopped at the stream's source, where the fisherman came to a mountain with a small opening through which it seemed he could see light. Leaving his boat, he entered the opening. At first it was so narrow that he could barely pass, but after advancing a short distance it suddenly opened up to reveal a broad, flat area with imposing houses, good fields, beautiful ponds, mulberry trees, bamboo, and the like. The fisherman saw paths extending among the fields in all directions, and could hear the sounds of chickens and dogs. Men and women working in the fields all wore clothing that looked like that of foreign lands. The elderly and children all seemed to be happy and enjoying themselves.
The people were amazed to see the fisherman, and they asked him from where he had come. He told them in detail, then the people invited him to their home, set out wine, butchered a chicken, and prepared a meal. Other villagers heard about the fisherman, and they all came to ask him questions. Then the villagers told him, "To avoid the chaos of war during the Qin Dynasty, our ancestors brought their families and villagers to this isolated place and never left it, so we've had no contact with the outside world." They asked the fisherman what the present reign was. They were not even aware of the Han Dynasty, let alone the Wei and Jin.The fisherman told them everything he knew in great detail, and the villagers were amazed and heaved sighs. Then other villagers also invited the fisherman to their homes, where they gave him food and drink. After several days there,the fisherman bid farewell, at which time some villagers told him, "It's not worth telling people on the outside about us."
The fisherman exited through the opening, found his boat, and retraced his route while leaving markers to find this place again. Upon his arrival at the prefecture town he went to the prefect and told him what had happened. The prefect immediately sent a person to follow the fisherman and look for the trail markers, but they got lost and never found the way.
Liu Ziji of Nanyang was a person of noble character. When he heard this story he was happy and planned to visit the Shangri-la, but he died of illness before he could accomplish it. After that no one else ever looked for the place.