A Farewell
Dismount; let me offer you wine.
I ask where you are going.
You say that things have not gone as you hoped,
And you will return to live by South Mountain.
Then go; I will ask no more—
The white clouds there never run out.
Notes
The opening offers a departing friend wine. “Where are you going?” uses zhī in the sense of going. South Mountain is commonly identified with the Zhongnan range. “Unfulfilled” leaves the exact cause unstated; “white clouds without end” closes the poem with an open image.
Meaning
Over a farewell drink, a friend explains that life has disappointed him and that he is returning to live near South Mountain. The speaker lets the question rest and turns to the image of endless clouds.
Appreciation
A brief exchange shapes the farewell, ending with the image of clouds over the mountains.
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The invitation to dismount and drink opens the scene; a question brings out the friend’s decision to withdraw.
The poem names disappointment without explaining it. The final clouds may suggest consolation or an attraction to life in the hills.
Many poems share the title Farewell. This is Wang Wei’s poem beginning with an offer of wine.
About the poet
Wang Wei (c. 701–761), courtesy name Mojie, was a Tang poet, painter and official whose family originated near present-day Qixian, Shanxi.
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He served in government and spent time at Wangchuan; poems exchanged with Pei Di are well known.
His works also include Deer Enclosure and Seeing Yuan Er Off to Anxi.