By this wall that surrounds the three Qin districts,
Through a mist that makes five rivers one,
We bid each other a sad farewell,
We two officials going opposite ways...
And yet, while China holds our friendship,
And heaven remains our neighbourhood,
Why should you linger at the fork of the road,
Wiping your eyes like a heart-broken child?
Original Poem
「送杜少府之任蜀州」
王勃
城阙辅三秦，风烟望五津。
与君离别意，同是宦游人。
海内存知己，天涯若比邻。
无为在歧路，儿女共沾巾。
Interpretation
This poem is a renowned farewell piece by the Early Tang poet Wang Bo, composed during the reign of Emperor Gaozong of Tang, when Wang Bo, young and exceptionally talented, served in the capital Chang'an. District Defender Du was about to take up a post in Shuzhou (present-day Chongzhou, Sichuan), and Wang Bo wrote this poem to bid him farewell.
During the Early Tang period, it had become common for scholar-officials to travel and serve in various regions, making farewells ordinary occurrences. Yet, Wang Bo's poem breaks from the traditional sorrowful and lingering tone of farewell poetry, elevating the melancholy of parting into a celebration of friendship with an open-minded spirit and heroic style. "城阙辅三秦" (Chéng què fǔ sān qín, The city walls are backed by the lands of Three Qin) opens with the imposing grandeur of the imperial capital; "风烟望五津" (Fēng yān wàng wǔ jīn, Through wind and mist, I gaze towards the Five River Ferries) extends the gaze to the scenery of the distant land of Shu, a thousand li away. The poet does not write of tearful farewells or longing after parting. Instead, with "同是宦游人" (tóng shì huàn yóu rén, Are shared by wanderers as we’re rovers at heart) he expresses mutual resonance; with "天涯若比邻" (tiān yá ruò bǐ lín, The world’s end is like the next door) he transcends the barrier of distance; and with "无为在歧路" (wú wéi zài qí lù, On the fork of the road, do not) he concludes the whole piece, transforming an ordinary farewell into one of magnificent scope and heroic passion. This poem is not only a display of Wang Bo's personal genius but also a significant marker of the shift in Early Tang poetic style from the ornate delicacy of the Six Dynasties toward the expansive grandeur of the High Tang.
First Couplet: "城阙辅三秦，风烟望五津。"
Chéng què fǔ sān qín, fēng yān wàng wǔ jīn.
The city walls are backed by the lands of Three Qin; Through wind and mist, I gaze towards the Five River Ferries.
The poem opens with a vigorous brushstroke outlining the spatial framework of the farewell. "城阙辅三秦" (Chéng què fǔ sān qín): Using an inverted syntax, it turns "三秦辅城阙" (Sān Qín backing the city walls) into "城阙辅三秦" (The city walls are backed by the lands of Three Qin). The word "辅" (fǔ, to back/support) lends Chang'an the imposing manner of ruling over the empire—as if the lands of Three Qin all serve as guardians of the imperial capital. The next line, "风烟望五津" (Fēng yān wàng wǔ jīn), uses the word "望" (wàng, to gaze) to pull the gaze from Chang'an toward the distant land of Shu, a thousand li away. This "gaze" is both a literal description of the poet watching his friend depart and an imaginative projection of his friend's journey ahead; it is both a spatial extension and an emotional prolongation. Within the hazy wind and mist, the Five Ferries are faintly visible, and the melancholy of parting quietly permeates this vast, boundless view. In one couplet, the grandeur of the capital and the remoteness of Shu are fully captured; the magnificence of the farewell and the length of parting sorrow are all contained within.
Second Couplet: "与君离别意，同是宦游人。"
Yǔ jūn lí bié yì, tóng shì huàn yóu rén.
The feeling that fills me, as from you I part, Is shared by wanderers as we’re rovers at heart.
This couplet shifts from scene to feeling, yet it is written with great restraint. "与君离别意" (Yǔ jūn lí bié yì, With you, parting, feeling) states plainly in five characters, without embellishment or elaboration, yet allows the reader to sense the deep emotion that words cannot fully express. The next line, "同是宦游人" (tóng shì huàn yóu rén, same, are, wander/officiate, wanderer), uses the word "同" (tóng, same) to highlight mutual resonance—we are both people who have left our hometowns to wander and serve in distant lands. Today's parting, you have experienced, and I have experienced; today's drifting, you endure, and I endure. This "sameness" transforms parting from one person's loneliness into mutual empathy between two; it transforms sorrow from a one-way expression into two-way understanding. In just ten characters, the deep feeling of parting is written with both subtlety and profundity.
Third Couplet: "海内存知己，天涯若比邻。"
Hǎi nèi cún zhī jǐ, tiān yá ruò bǐ lín.
If on earth there exists a true friend who knows me, The world’s end is like the next door, though distant it be.
This couplet is the soul of the entire poem and a famous line passed down through the ages. "海内存知己" (Hǎi nèi cún zhī jǐ, Within, seas, exist, know, self) uses "海内" (hǎi nèi, within the seas/on earth) to express the vastness of space and "知己" (zhījǐ, knowing oneself/true friend) to pinpoint the depth of friendship. "天涯若比邻" (Tiān yá ruò bǐ lín, sky's edge, like, neighbor) uses "天涯" (tiānyá, sky's edge/ends of the earth) to express the great distance and "比邻" (bǐlín, neighbor) to express the closeness of hearts. With a broad-minded spirit, the poet utterly dissolves the barrier of space—true friendship does not fade with distance, does not diminish with parting; as long as hearts are together, the ends of the earth are but a step away. The word "存" (cún, to exist/preserve) is used with immense weight: a true friend is not an occasional encounter but is "preserved" in the heart; no matter where one is, this affection remains. This couplet elevates the emotion of farewell poetry to a philosophical height—it is not about not grieving parting, but about transcending that grief with deeper feeling; it is not about not longing, but about dissolving longing with greater love.
Final Couplet: "无为在歧路，儿女共沾巾。"
Wú wéi zài qí lù, ér nǚ gòng zhān jīn.
On the fork of the road, do not shed tears like a child Wetting the girdle by which your robe is compiled!
The final couplet concludes the whole piece with words of encouragement, in a tone gentle yet firm. "歧路" (qílù, fork in the road) —in ancient times, farewells often ended at a fork in the road, hence using the fork to symbolize parting ways in life. "儿女共沾巾" (érnǚ gòng zhān jīn, children, together, wet, kerchief) describes the manner of children parting, wetting their sleeves with tears. The poet advises his friend: Since we already deeply understand that "天涯若比邻" (the world's end is like the next door), why imitate the manner of children, shedding tears at the fork in the road? These two words, "无为" (wúwéi, do not), are both consolation and self-encouragement; both an ending and a sublimation. The entire poem concludes in an uplifting, open-minded tone, leaving the reader not with the sorrow of parting but with the warmth of friendship and the composure of life.
Holistic Appreciation
This is a monumental work among Wang Bo's farewell poems. The entire poem, eight lines and forty characters, uses seeing off District Defender Du to Shu as its entry point, merging the grandeur of the imperial capital, the remoteness of Shu, the deep feeling of parting, and the permanence of friendship, revealing the poet's open-minded spirit and heroic bearing.
Structurally, the poem unfolds in progressive layers, moving from concrete to abstract, from scene to feeling, from near to far. The first couplet opens with "city walls" and "Three Qin" for the place of farewell, and "wind and mist" and "Five Ferries" for the friend's destination—an immense spatial sweep that establishes the poem's grand mood. The second couplet shifts from scene to feeling: "同是宦游人" underscores their shared fate, rendering the sorrow of parting with subtle restraint. The third couplet ascends from feeling to principle: "within the seas" and "the world's end" are set in spatial opposition, transforming friendship into a spiritual bond that transcends all distance. The final couplet closes with the counsel of "无为" , crystallizing the emotion and philosophical insight of the preceding lines. Between the four couplets, the movement from concrete to abstract, scene to feeling, feeling to principle deepens layer by layer, forming a seamless whole.
Thematically, the poem's core lies in the words "同" (tóng, same) and "存" (cún, to exist/preserve). That "同" in "同是宦游人" is resonance, understanding, the mutual reflection of each other's fate. That "存" in "海内存知己" is permanence, constancy, a steadfastness that transcends time and space. This "sameness" and "existence" elevate an ordinary farewell into a profound recognition of the essence of true friendship—true friendship does not change with distance, does not fade with time; it exists within the heart, like stars exist in the night sky; whether seen or unseen, it is there.
Artistically, the poem's most moving feature is its unique technique of "using grandeur to write deep feeling, using transcendence to dissolve sorrow." The poet does not write of tearful eyes or sorrowful hearts; he writes only of the capital's grandeur, Shu's remoteness, the permanence of true friendship, the ends of the earth being like next door. It is precisely this grand vision that keeps parting from becoming constrained; it is precisely this transcendent stance that leaves no room for sorrow. Those five words, "天涯若比邻" (tiān yá ruò bǐ lín), in the most concise language, express the most essential power of friendship, becoming an immortal masterpiece through the ages.
Artistic Merits
- Grand Imagery, Vast Scope (yìxiàng hóngkuò, géjú hóngdà): Using "city walls" and "Three Qin" to describe the capital, "wind and mist" and "Five Ferries" to describe Shu. The spatial span is immense, the vision extremely broad.
- Feeling Unifying Scene, Scene and Feeling Fused (yǐ qíng tǒng jǐng, qíngjǐng jiāoróng): The word "望" (gaze) in the first couplet is both spatial extension and emotional prolongation; the "within the seas" and "world's end" in the third couplet are both geographical concepts and measures of the heart. The language of scene is the language of feeling; physical images are images of the mind.
- Exquisite Wordcraft, Profound Conception (liànzì jīngmiào, lìyì shēnyuǎn): The word "辅" (back) describes the capital's grandeur; "望" (gaze) describes the feeling of parting; "存" (exist/preserve) describes friendship's permanence. Each word carries immense weight, rich in meaning.
- Conclusion with Encouragement, Open-minded and Uplifting (quànmiǎn zuò jié, huòdá ángyáng): The final couplet concludes with "无为在歧路" (wú wéi zài qí lù), elevating the sorrow of parting into the composure of life—resonance lingers, inspiring and uplifting.
Insights
With a single farewell, this poem speaks to an eternal theme—true friendship can transcend all distance.
First, it lets us see the "vanity of distance." In the conventional view, the world's end is the world's end, and next door is next door—the two are as different as clouds and mud. But in the poet's brush, "天涯若比邻" —as long as hearts are in communion, myriad rivers and mountains are but a step away. It tells us: what truly separates people is never spatial distance, but the estrangement of hearts.
Deeper still, this poem prompts us to contemplate the "meaning of parting." Parting is essentially a loss, a severance. But the poet says, "同是宦游人" —parting is not loss but a shared destiny; not severance but deeper understanding. It reminds us: true parting is not the separation of bodies, but the estrangement of hearts; as long as hearts are together, parting is merely another form of meeting.
And most touching is the composure in the poem, that attitude of "不以物喜，不以己悲" . The poet is not sorrowful because of parting, not resentful because of wandering; he simply writes these forty characters calmly, hiding all deep feeling behind that open-minded spirit. This composure is not indifference, but the restraint that comes when deep feeling reaches its extreme; it is not coldness, but clarity after seeing through the ways of the world.
This poem writes of an Early Tang farewell, yet allows everyone who has experienced parting to find solace within it. That grandeur of "城阙辅三秦" is the starting point under the feet of every one who bids farewell; that gaze into the distance of "风烟望五津" is the limit of the eyes of every one who sees off; that faith of "天涯若比邻" is the final steadfastness in the heart of every one who parts. This is the vitality of poetry: it writes of one poet's farewell, yet speaks to all who, across mountains and seas, still watch over one another in all ages.
Poem translator
Kiang Kanghu
About the Poet
Wang Bo (王勃 c. 650 – 676), a native of Hejin, Shanxi Province, was a renowned writer of the Early Tang Dynasty and the foremost of the "Four Elites of the Early Tang." Exceptionally gifted from childhood, he could compose literary works at the age of six and passed the special imperial examination at sixteen, earning him the position of Gentleman for Court Service. Later, due to an incident, he was dismissed from office. In the third year of the Shangyuan era (676 AD), while crossing the sea to visit relatives, he fell into the water and died of fright at the young age of twenty-seven. His poetry and prose are celebrated for their abundant talent and grand vision. Wang Bo occupies a crucial position in the literary history of the Tang Dynasty. Together with Yang Jiong, Lu Zhaolin, and Luo Binwang, he collectively reversed the ornate and decadent literary style that had prevailed since the Qi and Liang dynasties, heralding the dawn of the resounding voice of the High Tang.
