– By Mao Zedong, April 1918
Clouds part over Heng Yue, long gloom at last dispelled,
Among Tianma and Phoenix Peaks spring trees unfold.
In youth, your talent rivals Qu Yuan and Jia Yi’s rare might;
This land’s rare spirit has converged here, shining bright.
As you depart, I sing for you a song of grand desire;
Like the giant roc, you’ll ride the waves, your great journey start.
Dongting Lake and Xiang River surge to meet the sky,
A mighty ship points straight east, sailing far and high.
For no reason a skyful of sorrow once was spread,
Yet lucky east winds blow it far away, miles ahead.
What can trouble a true man’s heart, enough to dwell?
Regard the vast universe as a tiny grain of millet.
Why fear the turbulent tide that crosses o’er the sea?
Why bother with the tangled affairs of humanity?
Govern your own body well and keep your mind upright,
Within your breast sun and moon stay ever new and bright.
Five hundred years have passed since great men shaped the age;
Those mediocre lords are but trivial men of the day.
Before Pinglang Palace our friendship runs deep and true;
Chongming and Tsushima lie close, like girdle-ribbon view.
Wash your sword in the Eastern Sea, send letters back to me;
I turn from the cliff as you sail forth across the sea.
Note
Luo Zhanglong
A close friend of Mao Zedong in his youth and a member of the Xinmin Society. He planned to study in Japan in 1918, which was the occasion of this farewell poem.
Qu Yuan (340–278 BC)
A great patriotic poet and statesman of the Warring States Period. He wrote Li Sao and other immortal poems, representing the highest achievement of ancient Chinese romantic poetry. He is praised for his outstanding talent and noble integrity.
Jia Yi (200–168 BC)
A famous statesman and writer of the Western Han Dynasty, known for his extraordinary intelligence and political insight at a young age. Together with Qu Yuan, they are called “Qu Jia”, symbolizing outstanding young talents in the region of Chu and Hunan.
Study abroad in Japan in modern China
In the late Qing and early Republican periods, a large number of Chinese youths went to Japan to study new knowledge, new ideas and revolutionary theories, which was an important cultural and political phenomenon to save the nation and pursue progress.
Chinese landscape culture
Mount Heng, Tianma Peak(Sky Horse Peak), Fenghuang Peak(Phoenix Peak), Dongting Lake and Xiang River are typical symbols of Hunan’s landscape culture, representing the spirit of “outstanding people from a remarkable land” in traditional Chinese culture.
Kun Peng (the giant roc)
From Zhuangzi · Xiaoyaoyou (Free and Easy Wandering). Kun is a giant fish that transforms into Peng, a huge bird that flies thousands of li. It symbolizes great ambition, broad mind and lofty aspirations.
Ti mi (a grain of spiked millet)
Also from Zhuangzi, comparing the vast universe to a tiny grain of millet. It expresses the broad mind of transcending trivial worries and looking down upon worldly troubles.
Five hundred years for a sage to appear
An ancient Chinese saying that a great hero or sage emerges about every five hundred years to govern the world. It shows the poets’ self-confidence and ambition to change the times.
Girdle-ribbon view (a strip of water, Yidai shui)
Describing that two places are very close across the water. Here it refers to the short distance between Chongming Island (China) and Tsushima Island (Japan), showing that China and Japan are close neighbors.
Washing the sword in the East Sea
A traditional poetic image symbolizing going abroad to pursue ideals, temper the will and undertake a mission.
七古·送纵宇一郎东行
毛泽东（1918年4月）
云开衡岳积阴止，天马凤凰春树里。
年少峥嵘屈贾才，山川奇气曾钟此。
君行吾为发浩歌，鲲鹏击浪从兹始。
洞庭湘水涨连天，艟艨巨舰直东指。
无端散出一天愁，幸被东风吹万里。
丈夫何事足萦怀，要将宇宙看稊米。
沧海横流安足虑，世事纷纭何足理。
管却自家身与心，胸中日月常新美。
名世于今五百年，诸公碌碌皆余子。
平浪宫前友谊多，崇明对马衣带水。
东瀛濯剑有书还，我返自崖君去矣。
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