[updated October 2022]
Wei Yingwu: Beginning the Launch Into the Changjiang, Send This Letter to Da the First
初 发 扬 子 寄 元 大 校 书
凄 凄 去 亲 爱
泛 泛 入 烟 雾。
归 棹 洛 阳 人
残 钟 广 陵 树。
今 朝 此 为 别
何 处 还 相 遇？
世 事 波 上 舟
沿 洄 安 得 住！
Chu Fa Yang Zi Ji Yuan Da Xiao Shu
Qi qi qu qin ai
Fan fan ru yan wu.
Gui zhao luo yang ren
Can zhong guang ling shu.
Jin zhao xi wei bie
He chu hai xiang yu?
Shi shi bo shang zhou
Yan hui an de zhu!
Beginning the Launch Into the Changjiang, Send This Letter to Da the First
Cold and desolate we depart as close friends
Small boats enter the mists.
Luoyang boats and people go back home
Remnant bell sounds spread among the hills and trees.
Now at dawn, we face our departure
Where can we meet each other again?
Affairs of this world are like waves against the boat
Cannot control if the boat follows, or moves against, the water’s flow!
Notes:
Changjiang: It is also known as the Yangzi River
Da the First: The man’s surname is Da, and he is the first and oldest male in his extended family, or clan.
Luoyang: The eastern and second of two capital cities during the Tang Dynasty (618-907)