[Poem] FAREWELL TO MISS YANG - A Poignant Parting and the Weight of Unfinished Journeys

In this brief yet evocative poem, Wei Yingwu captures the tender moment of bidding farewell to a young woman from the Yang family. The opening lines convey the heaviness of life’s myriad concerns—so numerous that even the long days seem burdensome. The act of departing through the door symbolizes stepping into life’s uncertainties, portrayed here as sudden “storms.”

By emphasizing that there is “no path” to follow the departing figure, Wei Yingwu underscores the helplessness felt by those left behind. This separation is not simply a physical one but also a deeply emotional transition, as the young woman heads toward an unknown future. The poet’s grief, revealed in the final line—“My heart breaks that you depart home, your journey scarcely begun”—suggests a profound empathy for her vulnerability and the sacrifices entailed in forging a new life. While only four lines in length, the poem brims with the universal tension between familial love and the inevitability of change.

Ultimately, “Farewell to Miss Yang” speaks to the sorrow of parting and the sympathetic wish that each traveler, especially one so young, might endure life’s trials with courage. Its gentle yet heartfelt sentiment resonates beyond its era, reminding us how fragile each goodbye can feel and how much unspoken concern can accompany a new chapter in someone’s life.