Sailing far off from Ching-men Ferry,
Soon you will be with people in the south,
Where the mountains end and the plains begin
And the river winds through wilderness.
The moon is lifted like a mi rror,
Sea-clouds gleam l i ke palaces,
And the water has brought you a touch of home
To draw your boat three hundred miles.
Original Poem
「渡荆门送别」
李白
渡远荆门外，来从楚国游。
山随平野尽，江入大荒流。
月下飞天镜，云生结海楼。
仍怜故乡水，万里送行舟。
Interpretation
Composed around 730 CE during Li Bai's first journey beyond Sichuan, this poem captures the moment he passed through Jingmen—the geographical and psychological threshold between Ba-Shu and Chu territories. The journey marked his transition from the rugged mountains of his homeland to the expansive Jianghan Plain, mirroring both a physical crossing and an emotional awakening. The work stands as a vibrant record of this dual transformation, blending nostalgic farewell with youthful exuberance for the unknown.
First Couplet: "渡远荆门外，来从楚国游。"
Dù yuǎn Jīngmén wài, lái cóng Chǔguó yóu.
Crossing distant Jingmen's pass, I come wandering to the land of Chu.
The opening lines establish the journey's narrative while concealing deep emotion. "Crossing distant" conveys both physical traversal and psychological separation from homeland. "Wandering to the land of Chu" radiates proactive anticipation, with the character "游" (wander) setting the poem's expansive, upbeat tone, vividly transmitting the poet's novelty and excitement at exploring the world.
Second Couplet: "山随平野尽，江入大荒流。"
Shān suí píngyě jìn, jiāng rù dàhuāng liú.
Mountains yield to plains that stretch away; The river flows into the boundless waste.
This iconic couplet paints a monumental transition with majestic strokes. "Yield" and "vanish" animate the mountains, creating a dynamic spatial flow as if peaks recede like tides behind the poet. "Flows into the boundless" depicts the Yangtze charging forward into vast openness. Beyond topographic record, these lines symbolize liberation from constraints and the expansion of vision—a perfect metaphor for the poet's mental state.
Third Couplet: "月下飞天镜，云生结海楼。"
Yuè xià fēi tiān jìng, yún shēng jié hǎi lóu.
Moonlight descends, a flying mirror from heaven; Clouds rise, forming mirage towers.
Shifting temporal perspective, the poet employs romantic imagination to depict surreal riverscapes. The moon's reflection becomes a "flying mirror from heaven," blending luminous perfection with magical motion as if celestial artifacts descend to earth. Clouds weaving "mirage towers" showcase the ethereal grandeur of Chu's skies. These transformations elevate reality into fantasy, embodying Li Bai's signature brilliance and his enchantment with new horizons.
Fourth Couplet: "仍怜故乡水，万里送行舟。"
Rèng lián gùxiāng shuǐ, wànlǐ sòng xíng zhōu.
Yet I cherish these hometown waters, That journey a thousand miles to escort my boat.
The finale introduces tender homesickness amid adventurous zeal. Instead of direct nostalgia, the poet personifies the river: "cherish" conveys affectionate gratitude; "hometown waters" identify the Sichuan-originating Yangtze as a native symbol; "escort my boat" imagines the homeland itself accompanying his travels. This turns parting sorrow into something ethereal and poignant, harmonizing bold exploration with heartfelt retrospection.
Holistic Appreciation
A paradigm of Li Bai's early style, this poem integrates High Tang's grandeur with a young poet's romantic spirit. Following the "wander" motif, scenery shifts with the boat's movement, emotions arising from vistas. The first six lines exuberantly portray novel, expansive views post-Sichuan, their dynamism and scale mirroring the poet's broad-minded optimism. The couplet masterfully pivots to nostalgia via "hometown waters," reining passionate outbursts into gentle tenderness—fusing heroism with sensitivity, magnificence with subtlety, creating profound artistic tension. More than a landscape journey, it is an ode to youth and idealism.
Artistic Merits
- Dynamic-Static Harmony, Macro Vision: "Mountains yield to plains" depicts dynamic disappearance; "river flows into the waste" shows dynamic extension; "moonlight as mirror" offers static reflection; "clouds forming towers" presents dynamic transformation—together crafting a multidimensional, grand artistic realm.
- Reality-Fantasy Fusion, Imaginative Splendor: Blending real scenes (mountains, river, moon, clouds) with虚幻 imagery (celestial mirror, mirage towers) transcends mere description, creating a dreamlike, poetic universe.
- Personification and Emotional Embodiment: The final couplet endows the river with human emotion, making abstract nostalgia tangible and lingering.
- Balanced Couplets with Fluid Rhythm: The middle couplets exhibit exquisite parallelism yet maintain effortless flow, showcasing the poet's linguistic mastery.
Insights
This poem presents an eternal question of youth: how to honor our roots while journeying toward distant horizons. Li Bai offers his answer—true growth lies not in severing ties with our past, but in carrying forward the spiritual heritage bestowed by our homeland (like the river that "journeys a thousand miles to escort us") as we courageously embrace a broader world. It inspires us to possess both the courage to plunge into the wilderness of life and the tenderness to look back and cherish our origins. This fusion of bold aspiration and heartfelt nostalgia embodies the precious balance that allows us to journey with both determination and warmth.
Poem translator
Xu Yuanchong(许渊冲)
About the poet
Li Bai (李白), 701 - 762 A.D., whose ancestral home was in Gansu, was preceded by Li Guang, a general of the Han Dynasty. Tang poetry is one of the brightest constellations in the history of Chinese literature, and one of the brightest stars is Li Bai.
