Farewell at the Tomb of Minister Fang
Away from home, I must travel on again;
I halt my horse to bid farewell to a solitary grave.
Beside my tears, no earth remains dry;
In the low sky hang broken clouds.
I recall playing chess in the company of Xie An;
Holding a sword, I seek the lord of Xu.
Only woodland blossoms are seen falling;
An oriole sings as the departing traveller hears it.
Notes
Minister Fang is Fang Guan, a Tang official. Xie An and the lord of Xu are allusions to earlier figures and remembered friendships; the exact application of the stories is interpreted in different ways.
Meaning
Stopping at Fang Guan’s grave during a journey, the poet mourns a friend through tears, broken clouds and allusions to earlier friendships.
Appreciation
The journey resumes, but the speaker pauses at the grave.
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Tears and broken clouds move the scene from close ground to sky.
Chess and sword recall older stories of friendship without requiring exact equivalence.
Falling flowers and an oriole leave grief resonating in the landscape.
About the poet
Du Fu (712–770), courtesy name Zimei, was a major Tang poet.
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His poetry records personal experience and the upheaval of his age, including the An Lushan rebellion.
He lived in Kuizhou in later years; his works include Spring View and Ascending the Heights.