— Li Bai
We part at the Pavilion Old;
The river flows its water cold.
Above we see trees not in bloom.
Below the vernal grass in gloom.
I ask a wanderer if we go astray;
He says an ancient poet took this way.
The way extends to the west capital,
Where floating clouds at sunset veil the palace hall.
Heart-broken here and now I part with you.
How can we bear to hear songs of adieu?
Note
Li Bai (701–762 CE) was the quintessential romantic poet of China’s High Tang Dynasty – renowned for his soaring imagination, emotional intensity, and deep sensitivity to parting, nature, and history. Often called the “Banished Immortal,” he infused even simple farewells with mythic resonance and lyrical grandeur.
His poem “Farewell at Baling” is a poignant send-off set at Baling Pavilion, a famous site near Chang’an (modern Xi’an) where travelers traditionally parted ways. The Baling River flows vast and solemn, flanked by leafless ancient trees above and sorrowful spring grass below – a landscape already steeped in melancholy.
The speaker asks a local about the road ahead and learns it is the same path once taken by Wang Can, a famed poet of the late Han Dynasty who fled south in exile. This historical echo deepens the mood: the ancient road leads back toward the western capital, but now at sunset, imperial palaces are veiled in drifting clouds – suggesting decline, uncertainty, or political disillusionment.
The final lines strike the emotional core: “This is precisely the place that breaks hearts tonight – / I cannot bear to hear the parting song.” The “Lisong” (parting song, often referencing the classical “Li Ge”) symbolizes the unbearable pain of separation.
Rather than personal grief alone, Li Bai blends personal emotion with historical memory and cosmic imagery, turning a simple farewell into a meditation on transience, loyalty, and the weight of time.
灞陵行送别
— 李白
送君灞陵亭，
灞水流浩浩。
上有无花之古树，
下有伤心之春草。
我向秦人问路歧，
云是王粲南登之古道。
古道连绵走西京，
紫阙落日浮云生。
正当今夕断肠处，
骊歌愁绝不忍听。
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