Wang Wei: A Song to Send Off a Friend to His Mountain Home

A Song to Send Off a Friend to His Mountain Home

送 友 人 归 山 歌

山 中 人 兮 欲 归
云 冥 冥 兮 雨 霏 霏.
水 惊 波 兮 翠 菅 靡
白 鹭 忽 兮 翻 飞.

君 不 可 兮 褰 衣！
山 万 重 兮 一 云.
混 天 地 兮 不 分；
树 晻 暧 兮 氛 氲

猿 不 见 兮 空 闻。
忽 山 西 兮 夕 阳
见 东 皋 兮 远 村；
眇 惆 怅 兮 思 君。

Song You Ren Gui Shan Ge

Shan zhong ren xi yu gui
Yun ming ming xi yu fei fei.
Shui jing bo xi cui jian mi
Bai lu hu xi fan fei.

Jun bu ke xi qian yi!
Shan wan chong xi yi yun.
Hun tian di xi bu fen;
Shu an ai xi fen yun.

Yuan bu jian xi kong wen.
Hu shan xi xi xi yang.
Xian dong gao xi yuan cun;
Ping wu lu xi qian li
Miao chou chang xi si jun.

A Song to Send Off a Friend to His Mountain Home

Mountain peasants want to return home
Very dark clouds, rain falling in a heavy downpour.
Water stirred up into waves, emerald green grass bent with the wind
White egrets suddenly disappear.

Wings flapping up and down
You are not able to lift up your coat.
One cloud, countless range after range of mountains
Drifting along within an undivided heaven and earth.

Is that a tree in the thick mists of dusk?
Monkeys not seen, but heard in the emptiness.
Western mountains disappear with the setting sun
Seeing a distant and remote village in the eastern brightness.
Green, level, uncultivated fields for many miles
You ponder all of this with very little melancholy or regret.