Li Bai’s “Seeing Off a Friend” (300 Tang Poems #102)
Translation
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Li Bai (701-762)
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李白
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Seeing Off a Friend
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送友人
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Green hills
across the northern walls
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青山
橫北郭
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Pure water
spirals east about the town
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白水
遶東城
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This soil
is the place of our departing
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此地
一為別
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A dandelion…
thousands of miles… your
journey… |
孤蓬
萬里征
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Drifting as the clouds…
a wandering child, I feel
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浮雲
游子意
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The sun is setting
and
I think of my old friend |
落日
故人情
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Waving hands
as now you go
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揮手
自茲去
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Desolate, dejected—
your team of horses cries.
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蕭蕭
班馬鳴
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Original Chinese
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Traditional
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Simplified
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Pronunciation
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李白
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李白
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Lǐ Bái
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送友人
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送友人
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Sòng yǒu rén
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青山橫北郭，
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青山横北郭，
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Qīng shān héng běi guō,
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白水遶東城。
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白水遶东城。
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Bái shuǐ rào dōng chéng.
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此地一為別，
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此地一为别，
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Cǐ dì yī wéi bié,
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孤蓬萬里征。
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孤蓬万里征。
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Gū péng wàn lǐ zhēng.
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浮雲游子意，
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浮云游子意，
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Fú yún yóu zǐ yì,
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落日故人情。
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落日故人情。
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Luò rì gù rén qíng.
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揮手自茲去，
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挥手自兹去，
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Huīshǒu zì zī qù,
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蕭蕭班馬鳴。
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萧萧班马鸣。
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Xiāo xiāo bān mǎ míng.
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Literal Notes
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李白
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Plum White=Li Bai(701-762)
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送友人
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See-off/send-off
friend man/person
[friend man= friend]
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青山橫北郭，
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Green hills/mountain
across/horizontal north/northern/northward outer-city-wall/outer-part-of-a-city
[Green hills= a hint of
good life or cheerful spirits.] |
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白水遶東城。
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White/pure/clear/plain
water spiral/move-round/go-round/by-pass/make-a-detour/entwine/wind-around/surround east/eastern/eastward city/town |
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此地一為別，
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This place/earth/soil/ground
one/once/a do/be/is/for/to/because farewell/separate/leave/depart |
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孤蓬萬里征。
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Lone/lonely/orphan/solitary
grass-name/fleabane/disheveled/type-of-raspberry thousands-of/10,000 miles journey/trip/expedition/go-on-long-campaign
[Lone/lonely
grass-name/fleabane/disheveled= a common allusion to someone doomed to travel forever. It’s also called flying fleabane, because after it’s withered, it will just fly with the wind. Here refers to the friend traveling afar.] |
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浮雲游子意，
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Floating/fleeting/transient/drift/waft
clouds traveling/swim/float/drift/wander/roam son/child feeling/meaning/thought/idea/wish/desire/intention
[traveling son=Chinese
saying, person living or traveling away from home] |
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落日故人情。
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Falling/setting/dropping
sun old friend/person feeling/love/emotion/relationship/sentiment |
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揮手自茲去，
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Wave hand self/from/since
now/here/this/time/year go/leave/send-sb-to-go/pass/elapse/depart |
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蕭蕭班馬鳴。
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Miserable/desolate/mournful/dejected
[“”] class/team/squad horse cry(of animal)
[Miserable/desolate dreary=
xiao xiao, horse neighing sound, but the choice of the word also reflecting the sadness.]
[class/team/squad
horse=here refers to the horse at farewell, also an allusion of this horse is to leave its group.]
[cry(of birds)= horse
neigh, nicker/whicker/whinny] |
This is a new version of an earlier translation I did.