A morning-rain has settled the dust in Weicheng;
Willows are green again in the tavern dooryard...
Wait till we empty one more cup --
West of Yang Gate there'll be no old friends.
Original Poem:
「渭城曲」
王维
渭城朝雨邑轻尘， 客舍青青柳色新。
劝君更尽一杯酒， 西出阳关无故人。
Interpretation:
This is a popular poem of farewell. The poet's friend Yuan Er will go to Kuche in Xinjiang, and the poet sees him off in Weicheng.
The first two lines: In the morning of Weicheng, a spring rain has dampened the light dust, and the branches and leaves of the willows around the guest house are fresh and green.
The scene depicted is the first clearing of Weicheng after the rain. It was a spring morning, and a light rain had just fallen, wetting the dust in the air. The rain washed away the dust on the leaves, and the willow tree showed its different verdant color, and the guest house showed its green color under the reflection of the willow color. Different from the common farewell poems, this poem is contrary to the common bleak tone of the usual farewell poems, but shows us a fresh and light scene.
The last two lines: old friend, please drink another glass of wine, westward out of the Yangguan Pass, it will be difficult to meet the old relatives.
The last two lines are a change of tone, ingenious, without saying anything else, only to write the host's exhortation when the banquet is coming to an end. Wang Wei's farewell poems are often good at capturing a special, infectious scene. In this poem, he does not write about holding hands and looking at each other with tears in one's eyes, or the attentive words of goodbye during the banquet, or the attention of looking away after the farewell, but only captures the host's exhortation to drink at the end of the banquet, and it seems that the rest of the words, without having to be said, are all already in words.
This poem was later included in the Han Lefu, widely recited, and became a famous song for farewells. The whole poem expresses the feeling of farewell in a clear and natural language with no embellishments, and the poem has a strong artistic influence because of its blending of scenes and deep flavor.
Poem translator:
Kiang Kanghu
About the poet:
Wang Wei (王维), 701-761 A.D., was a native of Yuncheng, Shanxi Province. Wang Wei was a poet of landscape and idylls. His poems of landscape and idylls, with far-reaching images and mysterious meanings, were widely loved by readers in later generations, but Wang Wei never really became a man of landscape and idylls.
