On Parting With the Buddhist Pilgrim Ling Che
- Poetry of Liu Changqing

Five-character-quatrain

Composed between 769-770 AD during the Dali era, this poem was written when Liu Zhangqing, depressed by political setbacks, was stranded in Runzhou, while the then-unknown monk Lingche wandered through Jiangnan. Though following different paths—one a disillusioned scholar-official, the other a reclusive monk—they shared a kindred spirit in their unrecognized talents and quiet yearning for retreat. Penned at dusk as Liu bid farewell to Lingche returning to Bamboo Grove Temple, the verses express profound parting sentiment and longing for an idealized spiritual life.