宣州谢朓楼饯别校书叔云: A Farewell to Secretary Uncle Yun At the Xietiao Villa in Xuanzhou (by 李白 Li Bai)

*text mentioned in Jiang Hu Road Is Curved chapter four

{{A Farewell to Secretary Uncle Yun At the Xietiao Villa in Xuanzhou}}

The yesterday that abandoned me and left,

Cannot be retained;

The today that leaves my heart in disorder,

Causes many worries.

Autumn wild geese escorted by miles of wind,

Intoxicated whilst watching this from the high building.

Your writings contains the backbone of the Jian’an^[1] style,

Also contains the delicate elegance of Xiao Xie^[2] between.

You and I embrace soaring ambitions,

Desiring the blue sky and aspiring to the luminous moon.

Drawn sword cuts off the water, yet the water flows more smoothly,

Drinking to forget the worries, yet the worries grows more intense.

Life cannot go according to one’s wishes,

Better to let down one’s hair and aboard the little boat.

–

[1]Jian’an style refers to poetry associated with the end of the Han Dynasty and is known for being noble, awe-inspiring and direct

[2] Xiao Xie (Little Xie) refers to a Southern Qi poet called Xie Tao, also known as Hui Xuan

---

《宣州谢朓楼饯别校书叔云》《Xuān Zhōu Xiè Tiǎo Lóu Jiàn Bié Xiào Shū Shū Yún》

弃我去者，                                       (Qì wǒ qù zhě)

昨日之日不可留；                           (Zuó rì zhī rì bù kě liú)

乱我心者，                                       (Lu àn wǒ xīn zhě)

今日之日多烦忧。                           (Jīn rì zhī rì duō fán yōu)

长风万里送秋雁，                           (Cháng fēng wàn lǐ sòng qiū yàn)

对此可以酣高楼。                           (Duì cǐ kě yǐ hān gāo lóu)

蓬莱文章建安骨，                           (Péng lái wén zhāng jiàn’ān gǔ)

中间小谢又清发。                           (Zhōng jiān xiǎo xiè yòu qīng fā)

俱怀逸兴壮思飞，                           (Jù huái yì xìng zhuàng sī fēi)

欲上青天览明月。                           (Yù shàng qīng tiān lǎn míng yuè)

抽刀断水水更流，                           (Chōu dāo duàn shuǐ shuǐ gèng liú)

举杯销愁愁更愁。                           (Jǔ bēi xiāo chóu chóu gèng chóu)

人生在世不称意，                           (Rénshēng zài shì bù chēng yì)

明朝散发弄扁舟。                           (Míng cháo sàn fà nòng piān zhōu)

---

A Farewell to Secretary Shu Yun At the Xietiao Villa in Xuanzhou is a poem by the great Tang Dynasty Poet Li Bai who composed it as a farewell gift, having met Li Yun in Xuanzhou. This poem has 92 characters in total, and is for most part comprised of lines of seven characters. It is not a bluntly put farewell, it uses a heavy brush to express the poet’s discontent in underappreciated talent. The poem infuses generous heroic feelings, expressing the poet’s fierce anger in unappreciated talents, expressing his strong dissatisfaction towards the dark society and also his passionate pursuit for a brighter world. Although written with extreme anguish and concern, it is not deep and gloomy. The poem contains strong thoughts and feelings, like rapidly changing torrents, waves raising one after another, jumping up and down in perfect harmony with the artistic structure, achieving the boldly unconstrained realm that harmonises with nature.

Poem and explanation translated from: http://baike.baidu.com/link?url=c3g8TMVBnY71TlnUa6j5xRbOMF2I-204xXWtYBHlobpxsa3_pvxx9_mbIrnGYFZE4Pod2m9Xaen29Xiwfn8WTK