Drunk, we leave the wine shop sweetened with orange blooms;
The breeze brings in your boat the rain casting cold glooms.
When steeped in moonlight far away in Southern streams,
You would be grieved to hear monkeys' wail in your dreams.
Original Poem
「送魏二」
王昌龄
醉别江楼橘柚香，江风引雨入舟凉。
忆君遥在潇湘月，愁听清猿梦里长。
Interpretation
Composed during the 8th century High Tang period, this farewell poem was written by Wang Changling for his friend Wei Er. Having experienced political frustrations and repeated exiles, Wang poured his profound reflections on separation and wandering into this work. Blending actual riverside scenes with imagined journeys, it transforms farewell into a profound emotional experience through interwoven reality and imagination.
First Couplet: "醉别江楼橘柚香，江风引雨入舟凉。"
Zuì bié jiāng lóu jú yòu xiāng, jiāng fēng yǐn yǔ rù zhōu liáng.
"Drunk farewell by riverside where citrus perfumes sway; / Wind-borne rain chills the departing boat midriver's gray."
The opening depicts the parting scene, juxtaposing drunken farewell's warmth with rain's chill. Citrus fragrance and wine's haze ultimately yield to the invading coolness—an apt metaphor for separation's inevitable sorrow.
Second Couplet: "忆君遥在潇湘月，愁听清猿梦里长。"
Yì jūn yáo zài xiāo xiāng yuè, chóu tīng qīng yuán mèng lǐ cháng.
"I picture you beneath distant Xiang moonlight clear; / In dreams, sad gibbons' endless cries haunt my ear."
Transitioning to imagined realms, this couplet expresses longing through dream imagery. The Xiang River region (associated with melancholy), combined with mournful gibbon cries in endless dreams, extends the emotional landscape while intensifying the loneliness of separation.
Holistic Appreciation
The poem constructs an elegant emotional architecture, progressing from physical farewell to imagined reunion. Wang Changling masterfully employs sensory imagery—citrus fragrance, river wind, moonlight, gibbon cries—to extend the farewell's emotional resonance across time and space. Rather than describing actions, he focuses on environmental and psychological nuances, creating lingering poetic atmosphere. Its melodic rhythm and expansive vision make this a masterpiece of Tang farewell poetry.
Artistic Merits
- Reality-dream interplay: Concrete scenes fluidly transition to imagined visions
- Scene-emotion fusion: Each natural image ("citrus," "moonlight," "gibbons") carries emotional weight
- Linguistic elegance: Delicate yet potent phrasing balances sorrow with restraint
Insights
The poem demonstrates how emotional expression transcends literal description. Wang's "gibbons in dreams" technique conveys longing with subtle profundity. By harmonizing natural imagery with psychological states, it models how limited verses can achieve boundless emotional depth—a timeless lesson in poetic condensation and expressive power.
Poem translator
Xu Yuanchong (许渊冲)
About the poet
Wang Changling (王昌龄), circa A.D. 690 - 756, was a native of Xi'an, Shaanxi Province. Wang Changling's poems were mostly about the Border Places, love affairs and farewells, and he was well known during his lifetime. His seven poems are equal to those of Li Bai, and he is known as the “Master of seven lines”.
