孟郊诗
Poems of Meng Jiao
Index
汴州留别韩愈
Saying goodbye to Han Yu in Bianzhou
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不饮浊水澜 空滞此汴河 坐见绕岸水 尽为还海波 |
Don't drink that muddy water. It's always stagnant here by the Bian. But you can sit on the bank and watch The river return to die in the ocean waves. |
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四时不在家 弊服断线多 远客独憔悴 春英落婆娑 |
You've hardly been at home all year. It's bad that I'm accustomed to these partings. A distant wanderer, alone and haggard, as Spring's flowers swirl down around him. |
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汴水饶曲流 野桑无直柯 但为君子心 叹息终靡他 |
Bian River rushes round its bends like a Wild mulberry without even one straight branch. But as for noble upright hearts, I admire none so much as yours. |
-- 孟郊
废话
I know I've said it before. But keep in mind that when people say goodbye in the Tang, they know they may never see each other again. The West has had its periods where life was precarious. But the West built emotional walls against the dying. It never embraced its own humanity the way these poets did. 送 means to escort your guest out the gate, and then down to the nearest inn for more wine, and then to the river for a last look at the moon and another glass and a final embrace. Seeing each other again after that must have been wonderful.