It's a long way home, a long way east.
I am old and my sleeve is wet with tears.
We meet on horseback. I have no means of writing.
Tell them three words: "He is safe."
Original Poem:
「逢入京使」
岑参
故园东望路漫漫， 双袖龙钟泪不乾。
马上相逢无纸笔， 凭君传语报平安。
Interpretation:
In 749 A.D., Cen Shen set out for the first time on a journey to the Western Regions, and became the secretary of the staff of Gao Xianzhi, the governor of Anxi. This poem was written in the middle of his journey to the West.
The poet was traveling to the west, but he met the envoy who was returning home to the east. As can be imagined, the envoy was more and more excited as he traveled home, while the poet, who was far away from home, naturally became more and more sentimental as he traveled. The encounter between the two adds to this contrasting psychology. At the same time, the poet’s tears are not dry because of the unexpected encounter with the deceased on the one hand, but the greater reason should be that this unexpected encounter makes him miss his family and friends in Chang’an even more. The best part of the poem is the last two lines. In the era when letters were worth ten thousand pieces of gold, it was such a blessing to be able to give his family a peace of mind and put them at ease. The poet writes casually, without elaboration, and appears to be sincere and touching.
The reason why Cen Shen’s stanzas have been sung throughout the ages and have touched people deeply is inseparable from its own natural simplicity. The verses come from life, reflect life, and are written by hand with a friendly flavor. The small and insignificant things in life become so touching and deep once they are refined and summarized by art!
Poem translator:
Kiang Kanghu
About the poet:
Cen Shen(岑参), 715-770 AD, was a native of Jingzhou, Hubei Province. He studied at Mt. Songshan when he was young, and later traveled to Beijing, Luoyang and Shuohe. Cen Shen was famous for his border poems, in which he wrote about the border scenery and the life of generals in a majestic and unrestrained manner, and together with Gao Shi, he was an outstanding representative of the border poetry school of the Sheng Tang Dynasty.
