Seeing a Friend Off
Green hills stretch across the northern walls;
Clear water winds around the eastern town.
Here, once we part from one another,
You travel far like a lone drifting tumbleweed.
Floating clouds evoke the wanderer’s thoughts;
The setting sun holds an old friend’s feeling.
We wave our hands and go our separate ways;
The parting horses whinny softly.
Notes
Guo refers to the outer city wall or its surroundings. A lone tumbleweed figures the traveller. Floating clouds and the setting sun evoke the feelings of the departing and remaining friends. Ban ma are horses parting from their companions.
Meaning
Outside the city, the poet sees a friend off, using landscape and the sound of horses to convey parting.
Appreciation
Green hills and clear water establish the place of parting, one stretching across the scene and the other winding through it.
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A lone tumbleweed suggests the friend’s long journey.
Clouds and sunset connect the visible landscape with the feelings of traveller and friend.
The farewell closes with a wave and the whinny of horses leaving their companions.
About the poet
Li Bai (c. 701–762), courtesy name Taibai, was a Tang poet whose travels inspired many poems about landscapes, friendship and journeys.
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Life: Li Bai grew up in the Shu region and traveled widely. He was summoned to serve at the Tang court before continuing his journeys.
Works: His poems include Thoughts on a Quiet Night, Viewing the Waterfall at Mount Lu and To Wang Lun.