Slow and reluctant, I have waited
Day after day, till now I must go.
How sweet the road-side flowers might be
If they did not mean good-bye, old friend.
The Lords of the Realm are harsh to us
And men of affairs are not our kind.
I will turn back home, I will say no more,
I will close the gate of my old garden.
寂寂竟何待，朝朝空自归。
欲寻芳草去，惜与故人违。
当路谁相假，知音世所稀。
只应守寂寞，还掩故园扉。
寂寂竟何待， 朝朝空自歸。
欲尋芳草去， 惜與故人違。
當路誰相假， 知音世所稀。
祗應守寂寞， 還掩故園扉。
Five-character-regular-verse
Composed when Meng Haoran left Chang'an after failing to secure an official position, this poem expresses both his frustration over shattered ambitions and profound attachment to his dear friend Wang Wei. Though devoid of ornate rhetoric, its plain language conveys deep emotional resonance.
Classical Chinese poetry thrives on Concision and Ambiguity. Without tense or number, the words create a timeless space where the reader becomes the co-creator of the poem's meaning.
Look for Contrasts: light and shadow, movement and stillness. Don't just translate the words; feel the Yijing (artistic conception) that lingers long after the last character.
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