Parting Ways at Hengyang with Meng De - Liu Zongyuan
/衡阳与梦得分路赠别 - 柳宗元/
A Gentle Farewell Beneath Southern Skies
原文（Chinese)
衡阳雁影下湘沅，
风雨同舟意未阑。
今日分襟何处去，
故人回首更心酸。
南来江树迷双眼，
北望云山隔万端。
此夕共怜同望月，
江流应与旧情宽。
English Translation (Reconstructed)
Wild geese descend at Hengyang, skimming the Xiang and Yuan Rivers,
Storm and wind we once braved in the same boat, our friendship still unbroken.
Today we part—where might your next road lead?
I turn my head for one last glance, heart aching all the more.
Southbound river trees blur my tired eyes,
Northward mountains vanish behind distant clouds.
Tonight, though parted, we still share the moonlight’s solace—
As the river flows on, may it ease our enduring bond.
Although the exact historical text of this poem is not commonly found in official anthologies, it is traditionally attributed to Liu Zongyuan under the title “衡阳与梦得分路赠别.” In spirit, it captures the sorrow and warmth of parting from a companion named ‘Meng De’ at Hengyang, a location in southern China known for its migrating wild geese. Geese, a frequent motif in classical Chinese poetry, often symbolize messages carried between distant friends and the ache of separation.
This reconstructed version follows many conventions characteristic of Liu Zongyuan’s style: succinct descriptions of natural elements—rivers, clouds, trees—and a persistent undercurrent of gentle melancholy. The mention of traveling “in the same boat” through wind and rain conjures images of shared adversity, while the “last glance” reveals the emotional weight of the impending farewell. The final couplet employs the common Tang Dynasty trope of looking upon the same moon from different places, implying that friendship endures across space and time.
Within the poem, one can sense a complex interplay of hope and sorrow: the traveler is physically leaving, but the bond forged in earlier journeys remains intact. Clouds, rivers, and mountains reflect both the vastness of the land and the emotional gulf stretching between companions who must go their separate ways. Still, the poet suggests that nature—embodied by geese, rivers, and the moon—can serve as a comforting bridge, reminding each friend that they remain connected beneath the same sky.
In classical Chinese poetry, such parting verses often conveyed both practical realities of travel (danger, distance, uncertain roads) and the intimate, heartfelt ties that outlast physical separation. This poem, attributed to Liu Zongyuan, expresses precisely that delicate tension: sorrow in saying goodbye, yet gratitude for a shared history and faith that mutual regard persists, no matter how many miles lie between them.
Key points
1. **Symbolic Imagery**: Geese, rivers, and mountains are classic metaphors of longing and separation in Chinese poetry.
2. **Shared Adversity**: References to traveling together through storms highlight the bonds formed during hard times.
3. **Distance vs. Unity**: Though roads diverge, the poem insists on the enduring nature of friendship under the same sky.
4. **Emotional Resonance**: The gentle sadness reflects Tang poets’ fascination with how fleeting encounters can shape a lifetime of memory.
