A Farewell at Fengji Station to General Yan
- Poetry of Du Fu

《奉济驿重送严公四韵》

- Last updated: 2024-04-26 10:50:04

中文原文

远送从此别，青山空复情。

几时杯重把，昨夜月同行。

列郡讴歌惜，三朝出入荣。

江村独归处，寂寞养残生。

English Translation

This is where your comrade must leave you,

Turning at the foot of these purple mountains....

When shall we lift our cups again, I wonder,

As we did last night and walk in the moon?

The region is murmuring farewell

To one who was honoured through three reigns;

And back I go now to my river-village,

Into the final solitude.

Five-character-regular-verse

This poem dates from 762; Du Fu had accompanied his friend and patron, Yan Wu, from Chengdu to Fengji.

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.

List of Chinese poets