A Farewell Song
No dust is raised on the road wet with morning rain;The willows by the hotel look so fresh and green. I invite you to drink a cup of wine again; West of the sunny pass no more friends will be ▲.
(Translated by Xu Yuanchong)
Time flies and you will soon graduate from junior school. It might be a little sad to say goodbye to your teachers and classmates. This same feeling was shared more than 1,000 years ago, when the Tang Dynasty poet Wang Wei (701-761) had to say goodbye to his friend Yuan Er.
The last two lines are the most well-known. The poet invites Yuan to drink wine because he knows that life in Anxi will be tough. Most cities in China were prosperous (繁华的) during the Tang Dynasty (618-907), but the western areas were quite desolate (荒凉的). Wang thought the journey to the west would be full of hardship. So when Wang says "I invite you to drink a cup of wine again," he is pouring both his care and good wishes into the cup. This sincere love for his friend made this poem popular back then and it remains today.
