Don't let the songstress sing my songs anew!
Most of them are farewell poems for you.
Tomorrow again we'll part by riverside,
Alas! At moonset when outflows the tide.
Original Poem
「重赠乐天」
元稹
休遣玲珑唱我诗，我诗多是别君词。
明朝又向江头别，月落潮平是去时。
Interpretation
This poem is a farewell piece from the Mid-Tang poet Yuan Zhen to Bai Juyi, composed during a period of their interaction. Yuan Zhen and Bai Juyi passed the imperial examination in the same year, shared similar ideals and interests, and jointly advocated the New Yuefu Movement; together they are known as "Yuan-Bai." Their friendship was profound, with numerous poetic exchanges and responses, especially their farewell poems, which are particularly moving. Bai Juyi once wrote in Elegy for Weizhi: "For thirty years we shared both life and death; Nine hundred poems we wrote to each other," demonstrating the depth of their affection and the frequency of their exchanges.
This poem was composed on the eve of a parting between Yuan Zhen and Bai Juyi. The title "重赠" (To Bai Juyi Before Parting) implies that poems had been exchanged before, and this is another farewell piece. The setting was likely a gathering of friends, where a songstress named Linglong performed songs, and the lyrics she sang were precisely Yuan Zhen's poems. Hearing the familiar verses stirred not the joy of reunion, but the pain of parting—because Yuan Zhen's poems were mostly words of farewell written for Bai Juyi. Unable to bear listening further, the poet made the request: "Pray do not let the singer sing my verse again!" However, behind this request lies another impending separation—"We’ll part again tomorrow by riverside, When the moon sinks and morning’s at the full tide." The poem begins with a refusal to hear the poems and concludes with a prophecy of parting, melding the present gathering with tomorrow's separation, the pain of listening to the poems with the longing after parting, all within twenty-eight characters, fully capturing the unwavering, life-and-death affection between Yuan and Bai.
First Couplet: "休遣玲珑唱我诗，我诗多是别君词。"
Xiū qiǎn Línglóng chàng wǒ shī, Wǒ shī duō shì bié jūn cí.
Pray do not let the singer sing my verse again! For they’re regretful songs of leave and pain.
The poem opens with a request of refusal. "休遣" (Pray do not let) is expressed in an imperative tone, leaving no room for doubt, showing the poet's urgent mood at this moment. "玲珑" (the singer) is likely the name of the songstress at the gathering. That she could sing Yuan Zhen's poems indicates Yuan's poetry was already widely circulated at the time. Yet the poet asks her not to sing—not due to a lack of confidence in his own poems, but because "我诗多是别君词" (they’re regretful songs of leave and pain). The word "多" (mostly) carries immense weight: eight or nine out of ten of the poet's verses are farewell works written for Bai Juyi; between the lines lie all the sorrows and regrets of parting. Hearing them again at the gathering is like reliving all the past farewells; this pain is more than the poet can bear. This couplet, through the act of refusing to hear the poems, fully expresses the fear of the pain of parting, and also fully expresses the depth of the affection between him and Bai Juyi—precisely because the affection is so deep, the parting is so bitter; precisely because the parting is so bitter, he cannot bear to hear those verses filled with farewell again.
Second Couplet: "明朝又向江头别，月落潮平是去时。"
Míng zhāo yòu xiàng jiāng tóu bié, Yuè luò cháo píng shì qù shí.
We’ll part again tomorrow by riverside, When the moon sinks and morning’s at the full tide.
This couplet shifts from the present refusal to a premonition of tomorrow's parting. "明朝又向江头别" (We’ll part again tomorrow by riverside)—the word "又" (again) fully expresses the helplessness of impermanent meetings and partings—this is not the first parting, nor will it be the last; every gathering foretells another separation. The next line, "月落潮平是去时" (When the moon sinks and morning’s at the full tide), uses the language of scenery to write the time of parting, freezing the moment of farewell in a tranquil yet desolate picture. "月落" (the moon sinks) heralds the break of dawn, also subtly implying the end of the joyous gathering. "潮平" (morning’s at the full tide) is the moment the river tide calms, also symbolizing the arrival of the parting hour. After the moon sets comes dawn; after the tide calms comes departure. Everything is so calm, so natural, yet also so relentless. The poet does not directly describe the pain of parting; he only presents this scene of "the moon sinks and morning’s at the full tide" before the reader's eyes, and the desolation and helplessness of parting are already fully present within it.
Holistic Appreciation
This is a divine work among Yuan Zhen's farewell poems. The entire poem consists of four lines and twenty-eight characters. Using the act of listening to poems at a gathering as a starting point, it merges the present joy of reunion with tomorrow's parting, the fear of parting with the cherishing of friendship, showcasing the unwavering, life-and-death affection between Yuan Zhen and Bai Juyi.
Structurally, the poem presents a progression from the present to the future, from emotion to scene. The first couplet writes of the present—listening to poems at the gathering, but unable to bear hearing more because the poems are mostly farewell words; it is an emotional refusal. The second couplet writes of tomorrow—parting by the riverside, the moon setting, the tide calm; it is a premonition of parting. Between the two lines, the poem moves from present to future, from emotion to scene, progressing layer by layer, forming a seamless whole.
Thematically, the core of this poem lies in the echo between the word "多" (mostly) and the word "又" (again). The "多" in "我诗多是别君词" (they’re regretful songs of leave and pain) fully expresses the frequency of partings between the poet and Bai Juyi and the depth of their affection. The "又" in "明朝又向江头别" (We’ll part again tomorrow by riverside) fully expresses the impermanence of meetings and partings, the helplessness of life. Between this "多" (mostly) and "又" (again) lies the poet's cherishing of friendship and the pain of parting—precisely because the affection is so deep, the partings are so many; precisely because the partings are so many, every gathering becomes more precious, and every separation becomes harder to bear.
Artistically, the poem's most moving aspect lies in the subtle technique of "speaking by not speaking." The poet does not directly write of his own reluctance to part; he only says, "Pray do not let the singer sing my verse again!" He does not directly write of how painful parting is; he only writes, "When the moon sinks and morning’s at the full tide." He lets the reader understand for themselves: what unbearable weight lies behind that "休遣" (Pray do not let); how much wordless reluctance is hidden within that picture of "月落潮平" (the moon sinks and morning’s at the full tide). This technique of concluding emotion with scenery, of speaking by not speaking, is precisely the highest realm of classical Chinese poetry's "subtlety and implication."
Artistic Merits
- Skillful Conception, Advancing by Retreating: Using the refusal phrase, "Pray do not let the singer sing my verse again!" to lead to the deep affection of "they’re regretful songs of leave and pain", writing of parting by not mentioning parting, expressing emotion by not expressing emotion.
- Concise Language, Intense Emotion: The entire poem lacks any ornate or flowery phrases, yet every word flows from the heart, using the simplest language to write the most sincere emotion.
- Concluding Emotion with Scenery, Enduring Resonance: The second couplet concludes with "When the moon sinks and morning’s at the full tide", entrusting the endless sorrow of parting to the tranquil natural scene, the words end but the meaning is inexhaustible.
- Harmonious Rhythm, Cyclical Repetition: The echo of words like "多" (mostly) and "别" (parting), the parallel structure of "月落" (the moon sinks) and "潮平" (morning’s at the full tide), create a cyclical rhythm, enhancing the expression of parting sorrow.
Insights
This poem, through a refusal at a gathering, speaks to an eternal theme—The deepest affection is often hidden in the most reluctant parting; the truest friendship often becomes clearest at the moment of parting.
First, it lets us see "deep affection within parting." The poet cannot bear to hear his own poems because they are all about parting. Behind this "不忍" (cannot bear) lie memories of all past partings, and also fear of yet another parting in the future. It tells us: Truly profound affection often shows its weight most at the moment of parting—not because parting makes it precious, but because it is precious, we cannot bear to part.
On a deeper level, this poem makes us contemplate "the impermanence of meetings and partings." "We’ll part again tomorrow by riverside"—the word "又" (again) fully expresses the impermanence of life's meetings and partings. Gatherings are always brief; partings are the norm. Every reunion foretells another separation. It makes us understand: Precisely because meetings and partings are impermanent, we should cherish every gathering all the more; precisely because parting is inevitable, we should give our whole heart during gatherings.
And what is most evocative is that "speaking by not speaking" restraint in the poem. The poet does not wail, does not cry out to heaven; he only gently says, "Pray do not let the singer sing my verse again!" and thereby releases all the sadness, reluctance, and helplessness. This restraint is the introversion after deep affection reaches its peak; this calm is the wordlessness after grief reaches its extreme.
This poem writes of a farewell in the Mid-Tang, yet allows everyone who has experienced parting to find resonance within it. That request, "Pray do not let the singer sing my verse again!" is the shared sentiment of everyone unwilling to face parting. That helplessness of "We’ll part again tomorrow" is the shared sigh of everyone who knows the impermanence of meetings and partings. That picture of "the moon sinks and morning’s at the full tide" is the eternal scene in the eyes of everyone who has bid farewell to a friend at dawn. This is the vitality of poetry: it writes the parting of Yuan Zhen and Bai Juyi, but one reads the people of all eras who cherish friendship and are reluctant to part.
Poem Translator
Xu Yuanchong (许渊冲)
About the Poet
Yuan Zhen (元稹 779 - 831), a native of Luoyang, Henan Province, was a descendant of the Northern Wei imperial family and a renowned poet and statesman of the Mid-Tang Dynasty. As an important figure in Tang literary history, Yuan Zhen co-advocated the New Yuefu Movement with Bai Juyi. His poetic achievements are most distinguished in the yuefu (Music Bureau) style and erotic poetry. His romantic relationship with a woman named Yingying inspired the legendary tale The Story of Yingying. Yuan Zhen’s poetic style is characterized by its accessible clarity, occasionally interspersed with bold and striking expressions. During the transition from the Mid-Tang to the Late Tang, his accessible style exerted a profound influence, laying the foundation for the Yuan-Bai Poetic School.
