To Wang Changling Banished to the West
- Poetry of Li Bai (Li Po)

《闻王昌龄左迁龙标遥有此寄》

To Wang Changling Banished to the West by Li Bai (Li Po)

English Translation

All willow-down has fallen and sad cuckoos cry

To hear you banished southwestward beyond Five Streams.

I would confide my sorrow to the moon on high

For it will follow you west of the Land of Dreams.

This poem was composed during Emperor Xuanzong's Tianbao era when Li Bai learned that his close friend Wang Changling had been demoted to Longbiao (present-day Qianyang, Hunan) due to "minor improprieties." Filled with righteous indignation and profound regret, Li Bai wrote this poem to express his longing and consolation. Wang Changling, renowned for his masterful quatrains and literary fame, suffered repeated setbacks in his official career, making this demotion particularly unjust. Through natural imagery and the moon, Li Bai conveys his deep friendship while reflecting on life's unpredictability.

中文原文( Chinese )

杨花落尽子规啼，闻道龙标过五溪。

我寄愁心与明月，随君直到夜郎西。

Pre： Song of Green Water

Next：Fighting in the South of the Town

Why Chinese poems is so special?: The most distinctive features of Chinese poetry are: concision- many poems are only four lines, and few are much longer than eight; ambiguity- number, tense and parts of speech are often undetermined, creating particularly rich interpretative possibilities; and structure- most poems follow quite strict formal patterns which have beauty in themselves as well as highlighting meaningful contrasts.

How to read a Chinese poem?: Like an English poem, but more so. Everything is there for a reason, so try to find that reason. Think about all the possible connotations, and be aware of the different possibilities of number and tense. Look for contrasts: within lines, between the lines of each couplet and between successive couplets. Above all, don't worry about what the poet meant- find your meaning.

To Wang Changling Banished to the West - Poetry of Li Bai (Li Po)

To Wang Changling Banished to the West
- Poetry of Li Bai (Li Po)