Newlywed Parting - Du Fu
/新婚别 - 杜甫/
A Heart-Rending Farewell Amid War’s Harsh Realities
兔丝附蓬麻，
The dodder vine clings to hemp,
引蔓故不长。
Yet its tendrils fail to grow far.
嫁女与征夫，
Marrying a daughter to a soldier,
不如弃路旁。
Is scarcely better than leaving her by the roadside.
结发为夫妻，
Their hair was bound together in marriage,
在此谓鸳鸯。
And so they were as inseparable as mandarin ducks.
不惜战士苦，
I do not belittle the soldier’s hardship,
但伤妾身长。
But grieve for the woman who must endure so long.
自嗟贫家女，
Alas, I am a poor girl,
久致罗襦裳。
Who only just acquired these fine silk garments.
罗襦不复施，
Yet they shall no longer adorn my form,
对君洗红妆。
As I wash off my bridal rouge for you.
仰视百鸟飞，
Gazing up, I see a hundred birds take flight,
大小必双翔。
In pairs they glide, be they large or small.
人事多错迕，
How full of troubles and twists is human life,
与君永相望！
Leaving us forever gazing at each other from afar!
“Newlywed Parting” is one of Du Fu’s most heartrending poems, focusing on the young bride who must bid farewell to her soldier-husband shortly after marriage. At the time, wars and conscriptions left countless families separated, and Du Fu’s sympathetic treatment of this woman’s voice stands out. By using striking images like the dodder vine (which clings yet does not thrive) and the mandarin ducks (a symbol of marital devotion), the poet underscores the fragility and sorrow beneath what should have been a joyful union.
The bride’s regrets surface through everyday details: she mentions how difficult it was to obtain fine silk garments and how she now washes away her bridal makeup, acknowledging that her hopes for a blissful conjugal life evaporate as soon as he goes off to war. The poem’s ending juxtaposes the natural world—birds flying in mated pairs—against the human world fraught with chaos and strife, conveying a deep longing for unity that can no longer be fulfilled. This emotional tension between what should be and what is drives the sense of inevitable heartbreak.
As a poet living during the Tang Dynasty’s volatile periods, Du Fu witnessed the devastating impact of military campaigns on ordinary people. Through this poignant female perspective, he casts light on those left behind—the newly married young woman who faces an uncertain future alone. The poem appeals to readers’ empathy, moving beyond the battlefield to reveal the extended reach of war’s cruelty. It remains a potent reminder that conflict spares no one, not even those far from the front lines. Du Fu’s gentle yet powerful portrayal of personal anguish makes the poem timeless, touching readers across centuries with its universal message of love, loss, and the fragility of human bonds.
Key points
Du Fu’s poem highlights how political upheaval and conscription tear apart even the most intimate bonds. Through the young bride’s perspective, we sense her raw sorrow at an uncertain separation. The natural imagery of paired birds evokes what life should be—a unity that war interrupts. Readers are invited to recognize that behind every public crisis, private hearts are often left broken, reminding us of the deep personal toll of conflict.
