Wen Tingyun (812-870)


Farewell to a Friend going East  Complaint of a Jade Lute  Going South from Lizhou by a Ferryboat 


Farewell to a Friend going East

Yellow leaves are falling

at this deserted fort.

In high spirit,

you will leave the old Pass.

With autumn wind blowing,

you will pass Hanyang ferry.

By sunrise, you will

reach Yingmen Mountain.

Several people will

stand by the river

to greet your lonely boat

when it appears in the horizon.

When will we

see each other again?

Only a jar of wine

can console my parting grief.


Complaint of a Jade Lute

A dream cannot be made

on the cold mat of a silver bed.

The sky is as bluish as water;

the night clouds are thin.

Wild geese honk as they pass

far beyond the Xiao and Xiang.

The moon shines for no others

amid the twelve-storey tower.


Going South from Lizhou by a Ferryboat

The wide river glistens

under the slanting sun.

The mountain mists join

the vapor over the tortuous island.

A horse neighed as the boat

rowed away in ripples.

People rested beside the willows

waiting for the ferry to return.

Among several tufts of sand grass

a flock of gulls dispersed.

Over many acres of riverside fields,

a lone egret winged.

Who can understand the desire

to search for Fan Li on a boat?

Amid the misty waters of the five lakes,

one can forget the mundane affairs.


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