Seeing off Du Shisi South of the River
- Poetry of Meng Haoran

《送杜十四之江南 / 送杜晃进士之东吴》

Seeing off Du Shisi South of the River by Meng Haoran

English Translation

Jingzhou and Dongwu are both on the water,

You travel down the river in spring, now the level is high.

A sail is underway at sunset, what place will it moor?

Looking to the end of the sky can break a man's heart.

Poem translator:Xu Yuan-chong (许渊冲)

This poem was written by the Tang Dynasty poet Meng Haoran as a farewell to his friend Du Huang, who was about to leave the Jing region for Eastern Wu. Meng Haoran expressed his deep sorrow and sense of loss during their separation. Through the interweaving of landscapes and emotions, the poem reveals the complex emotions associated with bidding farewell.

中文原文( Chinese )

荆吴相接水为乡，君去春江正淼茫。

日暮征帆何处泊，天涯一望断人肠。

Pre： A Spring Morning

Next：Mount Lu Viewed from Xunyang at Dusk

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.

Seeing off Du Shisi South of the River - Poetry of Meng Haoran

Seeing off Du Shisi South of the River
- Poetry of Meng Haoran