— Meng Haoran
The east and west are joined by boundless water clear;
On the endless spring river goes the boat you steer.
Where will you moor it at sunset far, far apart?
Can I not gaze far, far away with broken heart!
Note
Meng Haoran (689–740) was a celebrated landscape and pastoral poet of the High Tang Dynasty, known for his quiet, natural style and deep emotional sincerity. Unlike many of his peers who pursued official careers, Meng largely lived as a recluse, and his poetry often reflects themes of solitude, friendship, and the beauty of southern China’s rivers and lakes.
His poem “Sending Du Fourteenth Off to Jiangnan” (Song Du Shisi zhi Jiangnan) is a brief yet poignant farewell. Set in the springtime along the waterways where Jing (central China) meets Wu (the lower Yangtze region) – a land “where water is home” – the poet watches his friend sail away into a hazy, boundless river. As dusk falls, he wonders anxiously: “Where will your lone sail find harbor tonight?” The final line delivers a surge of emotion: with one gaze toward the far horizon, his heart breaks – capturing the universal ache of parting.
Though only four lines long, the poem masterfully blends serene scenery with profound sorrow, embodying the Tang ideal of understated yet deeply felt expression.
送杜十四之江南
— 孟浩然
荆吴相接水为乡，
君去春江正渺茫。
日暮征帆何处泊？
天涯一望断人肠。
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