Farewell to Zhu Da Leaving for the Capital
- Poetry of Meng Haoran
To the Capital you go, where the high tombs stand;
My sword is worth a thousand gold, as you understand.
At parting, I ungird it, and give it to you here —
With it, I give the only heart I’ve owned for many a year.
This work is a renowned piece among Meng Haoran's farewell poems, composed during the High Tang period. It vividly exemplifies the chivalrous spirit of "honoring one's word above a thousand pieces of gold" and the profound camaraderie characteristic of the literati interactions of that era. While the historical details of "Zhu the Great" remain obscure, traveling "into Qin" (towards the Chang'an region) typically related to seeking office, scholarly travel, or assuming a post, reflecting the period's ethos where intellectuals actively pursued public service and formed friendships across the land.
游人五陵去，宝剑值千金。
分手脱相赠，平生一片心。
- 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.
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