Retired life is a common motif both in the fu of Gui Qu Lai Xi (Ah, homeward bound I go!) by Tao Yuanming (365-427), one of the greatest Chinese lyric poet, and in the Oda of Vida Retirada (To Retired Life), one of the most admired poems of the Spanish Siglo de Oro (Golden Age), written by Fray Luis de León (1527-1591), an erudite humanist and theologian. In these works, both poets transmit the longing for an inner freedom and their quest for serenity and truth that they aspire to fulfill in the rural environment of a retired life. Fray Luis expresses his desire to be with God in an idyllic and loneliness environment, meanwhile Tao makes a deep cogitation about life and speaks about his own life, which is an example of courage and dignity. This paper analyzes both compositions, focusing on their concepts about retired life and activities, tones and attitudes towards the pursuit of truth that the poets try to find inside themselves.