黄鹤楼送孟浩然之广陵
Seeing Meng Haoran Off to Guangling at Yellow Crane Tower
Original
故人西辞黄鹤楼，
烟花三月下扬州。
孤帆远影碧空尽，
唯见长江天际流。
Translation
Old friend, you bid farewell westward from Yellow Crane Tower,
In the misty bloom of the third lunar month, you sail down to Yangzhou.
Your lone sail fades into the vast blue of the empty sky,
Only the Yangtze flows on toward the horizon.
Line by Line Analysis
About This Poem
This poem is a timeless farewell masterpiece penned around 727 CE, when Li Bai saw his dear friend Meng Haoran off at Yellow Crane Tower as Meng embarked on a journey to Guangling (modern-day Yangzhou). The verses unfold a sequential, vivid scene: starting with the warm yet wistful farewell at the iconic tower, moving to the enchanting spring scenery of the third lunar month, then to the lone sail shrinking into the distant sky, and finally to the endless Yangtze stretching to the horizon. Instead of overtly expressing sorrow, Li Bai infuses the natural landscape with quiet longing, capturing the profound bond of friendship and the bittersweetness of parting. The imagery evokes both the allure of the friend’s journey and the lingering emptiness of the one left behind, making it an enduring ode to camaraderie and separation.
About the Poet
李白
Lǐ Bái
Li Bai (701-762), a towering figure of the Tang Dynasty, is widely regarded as one of the most celebrated poets in Chinese literary history, honored as the 'Poet Immortal'. His works span a vast range of themes, from grand natural landscapes to intimate friendships and yearnings for freedom. Renowned for his bold, imaginative romanticism, he weaves vivid, larger-than-life imagery with unrestrained emotion, leaving an indelible mark on Chinese poetry and inspiring countless later writers.
Cultural & Historical Context
1. Historical Background: The Tang Dynasty (618-907) was a golden age of Chinese civilization, boasting economic prosperity, cultural openness, and a thriving literary scene that nurtured giants like Li Bai, allowing poetic creativity to flourish. 2. Cultural Background: Yellow Crane Tower, one of China’s Four Great Famous Towers, was an iconic venue for literary gatherings and farewells, embodying traditional poetic heritage; friendship-themed poetry was a core genre in Tang literature, reflecting scholars’ deep emphasis on camaraderie. 3. Social Background: Tang scholars often traveled for official roles, sightseeing, or poetic exchanges, forging deep, long-distance friendships that were frequently immortalized in verse. 4. Personal Experience: Li Bai and Meng Haoran were close friends; Li admired Meng’s poetic talent and laid-back lifestyle, and this farewell took place when Meng, in his later years, set out to explore the scenic Yangtze Delta. 5. Artistic Features & Purpose: The poem aims to convey sincere friendship and reluctant parting without overt sentimentality. Its artistic strength lies in using visual progression—from the tangible figure to the vanishing sail and endless river—to subtly express melancholy, blending objective scenery with subjective emotion, creating a lingering, profound artistic effect that resonates across generations.