At Hibiscus Inn Parting With Xin Jian
- Poetry of Wang Changling

《芙蓉楼送辛渐》

English Rendering

With this cold night-rain hiding the river, you have come into Wu.

In the level dawn, all alone, you will be starting for the mountains of Chu.

Answer, if they ask of me at Loyang:

"One-hearted as ice in a crystal vase."

At Hibiscus Inn Parting With Xin Jian by Wang Changling

Original Text (中文原文)

寒雨连江夜入吴，平明送客楚山孤。

洛阳亲友如相问，一片冰心在玉壶。

Analysis & Context

Seven-character-quatrain

In the 29th year of the Kaiyuan era of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang (741 AD), after setbacks in his official career, Wang Changling was demoted to the position of County Magistrate of Jiangning, located in present-day Nanjing, Jiangsu. Furong Tower stands northwest of Zhenjiang, facing the Yangtze River, and was a place where he saw off friends. Xin Jian was a friend of Wang Changling, about to travel north to Luoyang. On an autumn night, a cold rain fell over the river. The poet braved the rain to hurry to Furong Tower to bid Xin Jian farewell. At dawn, the rain ceased, and his friend boarded the boat to depart. The poet stood alone before the tower, gazing at the distant mountains of Chu, and composed this poem.

Reader's Companion

The Essence of the Verse

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.

Reading Between the Lines

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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