— Wang Changling
A cold rain dissolved in East Stream invades the night;
At dawn you’ll leave the lonely Southern hills in haze.
If my friends in the North should ask if I’m all right,
Tell them I’m free from blame as ice in crystal vase.
Note
Wang Changling (c. 698–756 CE) was a celebrated frontier and lyrical poet of the High Tang Dynasty, renowned for his concise yet emotionally resonant quatrain poems. Often called the “Master of Seven-Character Quatrains,” he excelled at blending vivid natural imagery with profound personal feeling, especially in themes of friendship, exile, and moral integrity.
His poem “Farewell to Xin Jian at Hibiscus Pavilion” (Furong Lou Song Xin Jian) is a masterpiece of understated elegance. Set on a cold, rainy night as the poet sees his friend off in Zhenjiang (then part of Wu territory), the opening lines paint a vast, melancholy scene: autumn rain merges with the river, and by dawn, only the solitary Chu mountains remain as the traveler departs.
The true heart of the poem lies in its closing couplet. Wang imagines his friends in Luoyang asking about him – perhaps hearing rumors or worrying about his reputation after being demoted to a remote post. His reply is serene and resolute: “If they ask about me, tell them my heart is like a piece of ice sealed in a jade vase.”
This famous metaphor – “a heart of ice in a jade pot” – draws from classical Chinese ideals of purity, clarity, and incorruptibility. Despite political setbacks and isolation, the poet affirms his unwavering moral integrity and inner tranquility.
芙蓉楼送辛渐
— 王昌龄
寒雨连江夜入吴，
平明送客楚山孤。
洛阳亲友如相问，
一片冰心在玉壶。
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