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)
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。
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.
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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