To Wang Changling Banished to the West [Tang Poems]

— Li Bai

All willow-down has fallen and sad cuckoos cry

To hear you banished southwestward beyond Five Streams.

I would confide no sorrow to the moon on high

For it will follow you west of the Land of Dreams.

Note

Li Bai (701–762 CE) was one of China’s most iconic poets of the High Tang Dynasty, celebrated for his romantic imagination, emotional intensity, and mastery of lyrical verse. Often called the “Banished Immortal,” he blended Daoist mysticism, love of nature, and deep human feeling in poems that feel both spontaneous and sublime.

His poem “Hearing of Wang Changling’s Demotion to Longbiao, I Send This Poem from Afar” is a moving expression of friendship and empathy. Wang Changling – another great Tang poet – had been unjustly demoted and sent to the remote southern region of Longbiao (in modern Hunan), far beyond the “Five Streams,” a symbolic boundary of civilization.

The poem opens with haunting spring imagery:”Cottonwood seeds have all fallen; the cuckoo cries.” The cuckoo’s call, sounding like “bu gui” (“don’t go back”), evokes sorrow and exile. Upon hearing the news, Li Bai cannot rush to his friend’s side – but his heart aches so deeply that he sends it on a celestial journey:”I entrust my grieving heart to the bright moon – / May it follow you all the way west of Yelang (Land of Dreams).”

Here, the moon – a recurring symbol in Li Bai’s poetry – becomes a messenger of loyalty and compassion, transcending distance. Though separated by thousands of miles, their spiritual bond remains unbroken. The poem’s simplicity masks its emotional power: a perfect fusion of natural imagery, personal grief, and poetic magic.

闻王昌龄左迁龙标遥有此寄
— 李白

杨花落尽子规啼，

闻道龙标过五溪。

我寄愁心与明月，

随君直到夜郎西。