孟郊诗

Poems of Meng Jiao


Index

送卢虔端公守复州

Seeing off Lu Qianduan who returns to protect the provinces


师旷听群木
自然识孤桐
正声逢知音
愿出大朴中

Master of the wilds listens to the forest
And naturally knows the lone parasol tree.
Righteous speech finds its right audience,
All wanting the expression of true simplicity.

知音不韵俗
独立占古风
忽挂触邪冠
逮逐南飞鸿

The right audience is not vulgar.
It stands alone within the ancient ways.
As each gives up the desire for evil,
One by one, they arrive like migrating geese.

肃肃太守章
明明华毂熊
商山无平路
楚水有惊潈

How reverent the commandery's seal.
How bright the glory of its carriage.
Shang's hills knew no peaceful road.
Chu's rivers overflowed with violence.

日月千里外
光阴难载同
新愁徒自积
良会何由通

As you will be so very far away,
Much time will pass between communications.
But new troubles will pile up in vain
As your fine abilities will see you through.

-- 孟郊


废话

This is pretty clearly an official poem which Meng Jiao writes at the request of his superiors. Lu Qianduan has been sent to a military post, one of China's handful of military commanderies. It sounds like it is on the western border, far away. The subtext seems to be: "We, who are about to watch you die, salute you."

Lu may not be a military appointee. His title is 公 not 将军. And much of the first two verses are about gathering a 知音, "right audience, sympathetic listeners, close friends." So this could be a political appointment. I don't know the significance of the tong tree, 桐. It can be the tree that is used for making stringed instruments or the tree that produces tong oil. These may always be the same tree. It is sometimes translated as parasol tree. But its symbolism is unknown to me.


Index