Today has hurt my heart even more.
The autumn wildgeese have a long wind for escort
As I face them from this villa, drinking my wine.
The bones of great writers are your brushes, in the School of Heaven,
And I am a Lesser Hsieh growing up by your side.
We both are exalted to distant thought,
Aspiring to the sky and the bright moon.
But since water still flows, though we cut it with our swords,
And sorrows return, though we drown them with wine,
Since the world can in no way answer our craving,
I will loosen my hair tomorrow and take to a fishing-boat.
Original Poem
「宣州谢朓楼饯别校书叔云」
李白
弃我去者昨日之日不可留；
乱我心者今日之日多烦忧。
长风万里送秋雁， 对此可以酣高楼。
蓬莱文章建安骨， 中间小谢又清发，
俱怀逸兴壮思飞， 欲上青天览明月。
抽刀断水水更流， 举杯销愁愁更愁。
人生在世不称意， 明朝散发弄扁舟。
Interpretation
This farewell poem was composed by Li Bai at Xie Tiao's Pavilion in Xuanzhou. Gazing into the distance from the tower, the poet is moved by the scenery to lament the passage of time, express frustration with present troubles, and yearn for ideal realms. Yet finding his sorrows inescapable, he ultimately seeks solace in rivers and lakes, achieving a resigned transcendence. The poem exemplifies Li Bai's unrestrained, visionary style, with emotions surging powerfully in one breathless flow.
First Couplet: "弃我去者昨日之日不可留；乱我心者今日之日多烦忧。"
qì wǒ qù zhě zuó rì zhī rì bù kě liú; luàn wǒ xīn zhě jīn rì zhī rì duō fán yōu.
The yesterdays that left me cannot stay; The todays that disturb me bring endless dismay.
The poet directly expresses lament over time's passage and life's troubles. Irretrievable yesterdays contrast with today's relentless worries, establishing the poem's melancholic tone.
Second Couplet: "长风万里送秋雁，对此可以酣高楼。"
cháng fēng wàn lǐ sòng qiū yàn, duì cǐ kě yǐ hān gāo lóu.
The endless wind sends autumn geese afar— For such views we should drink atop this tower!
Watching autumn winds escort migrating geese, the poet's mood suddenly shifts to unrestrained revelry. This stark emotional contrast showcases Li Bai's characteristic volatility.
Third Couplet: "蓬莱文章建安骨，中间小谢又清发。"
péng lái wén zhāng jiàn ān gǔ, zhōng jiān xiǎo xiè yòu qīng fā.
Your writings rival immortal Penglai grace; My verses share Xie Tiao's refreshing pace.
Praising his friend's vigorous "Jian'an style" while comparing himself to Xie Tiao's清新 style, the poet displays mutual literary admiration and self-confidence.
Fourth Couplet: "俱怀逸兴壮思飞，欲上青天揽明月。"
jù huái yì xìng zhuàng sī fēi, yù shàng qīng tiān lǎn míng yuè.
Both soaring on bold visions, we aspire To pluck the bright moon from heaven's fire!
This couplet captures their shared soaring ambition, with "plucking the moon" symbolizing lofty ideals, reaching the emotional zenith.
Fifth Couplet: "抽刀断水水更流，举杯销愁愁更愁。"
chōu dāo duàn shuǐ shuǐ gèng liú, jǔ bēi xiāo chóu chóu gèng chóu.
Draw sword to part the stream—it still will flow; Lift cup to drown sorrow—it deeper grows.
Vivid metaphors portray inescapable gloom: "cutting water" shows futile resistance, while "drowning sorrow" reveals alcohol's paradoxical effects, exposing inner conflict.
Sixth Couplet: "人生在世不称意，明朝散发弄扁舟。"
rén shēng zài shì bù chēng yì, míng zhāo sàn fà nòng piān zhōu.
Since human life breeds discontent, Tomorrow I'll sail wild, hair unbound.
The poet chooses self-exile, with "loosened hair and skiff" symbolizing liberation from worldly constraints—a superficially transcendent but ultimately resigned resolution to his ideal-reality conflict.
Overall Appreciation
The poem's emotions surge from lament to exhilaration before settling into resigned melancholy. Li Bai's cosmic imagination and sweeping brushwork interweave passion and sorrow, embodying his unique style. The vigorous rhythm and majestic momentum create overwhelming power.
Stylistic Features
- Volcanic emotional shifts: The mood swings from grief to joy to despair mirror the poet's unrestrained personality and inner conflicts.
- Vivid metaphorical imagery: "Cutting water that still flows" powerfully visualizes inescapable sorrow.
- Natural classical allusions: The Xie Tiao comparison fits both the pavilion's namesake and the poet's self-image, enriching cultural depth.
- Musical fluency: Precise rhymes and rhythmic cadences enhance the poem's oral power.
Insights
The poem reveals life's inherent frustrations and idealism-reality tensions. It suggests that when facing adversity, we might charge forward or temporarily withdraw like Li Bai. Though lamenting his fate, the poet retains heroic aspirations—this spirit inspires us to persist through life's journeys, undefeated by hardships.
Poem translator
Kiang Kanghu
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.
