— Song Zhiwen
Ill, visited by none each day,
I sigh for you’ll go far away.
I cannot bid farewell to you.
Let riverside tree say adieu!
A hero may not serve till old;
A poet’s drowned in river cold.
The precious sword of Dragon’s Fountain
Might still shine bright though in deep mountain.
Note
Song Zhiwen (c. 656–712) was a prominent court poet of the early Tang Dynasty, known for his refined style and contributions to the development of regulated verse (lüshi). Though his career was marked by political turbulence – and he ultimately fell out of favor due to court intrigues – his poetry often blends personal emotion with classical allusion, displaying both elegance and depth.
His poem “Farewell to Du Shenyan” (Song Bie Du Shenyan) is a moving tribute to his friend and fellow poet Du Shenyan (Du Fu’s grandfather), who was being exiled far from the capital. Too ill to see him off in person, Song writes from his sickbed: “Confined by illness, cut off from the world – / I grieve your journey of ten thousand miles.”
He imagines the riverside farewell he cannot attend: the bridge where friends usually part, the distant trees along the riverbank seeming to hold lingering affection. He compares Du’s exile to that of the ancient poet Sun Chu, famed for his literary talent and untimely death, and likens his stop at the Miluo River to paying respects to Qu Yuan, the loyal minister and poet who drowned himself in protest against injustice.
The closing couplet evokes the legend of the Longquan sword – a peerless blade buried in Fengcheng, symbolizing unrecognized talent. By likening Du Shenyan to this hidden treasure, Song laments his friend’s unjust exile while affirming his enduring worth.
送别杜审言
— 宋之问
卧病人事绝，
嗟君万里行。
河桥不相送，
江树远含情。
别路追孙楚，
维舟吊屈平。
可惜龙泉剑，
流落在丰城。
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