Seeing Off a Monk
A lonely cloud and a wild crane—
How could they dwell in the busy human world?
Do not buy a home on Mount Wozhou;
People of the day already know that place.
Notes
Fangwai suggests a life beyond ordinary worldly affairs; shangren is an honorific for a Buddhist monk. Jiang means “and.” Mount Wozhou is in the area of modern Xinchang, Zhejiang. Cloud and crane are images for the monk.
Meaning
Seeing off a monk, the poet compares him to a cloud and a wild crane, and playfully observes that Mount Wozhou is already well known.
Appreciation
Cloud and crane evoke unrestrained movement and the life the departing monk seeks.
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The question about dwelling among people presents the monk’s distance from ordinary worldly concerns.
The warning about a well-known mountain gives the farewell a light, playful turn.
Rather than directly describe sorrow, the poem shows care by imagining the friend’s destination.
About the poet
Liu Changqing, courtesy name Wenfang, was a Tang poet who served as prefect of Suizhou. His dates and place of origin are uncertain.
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He held offices in several places and experienced exile; landscapes, partings and journeys appear in his work.
His poems include Seeing Off Master Lingche and Staying with the Master of Furong Mountain in Snow.