送元二使安西
sòng yuán èr shǐ ān xī
Farewell to Yuan Er on His Mission to Anxi
王维 (Wang Wei) · Tang Dynasty · 701–761
Original Text
渭城朝雨浥轻尘，
wèi chéng zhāo yǔ yì qīng chén,
客舍青青柳色新。
kè shè qīng qīng liǔ sè xīn.
劝君更尽一杯酒，
quàn jūn gèng jìn yī bēi jiǔ,
西出阳关无故人。
xī chū yáng guān wú gù rén.
English Translation
Morning rain in Weicheng has dampened the light dust; the inn is fresh and green with new willow colors. I urge you to drink one more cup of wine — west of Yang Pass, you will have no old friends.
Historical Background
Wang Wei wrote this poem to bid farewell to his friend Yuan Er, who was being sent on a diplomatic mission to Anxi (in modern Xinjiang), far beyond the western frontier. Yang Pass (阳关) was the last gateway before the desolate western regions. The poem was later set to music as "Three Variations on Yang Pass" (阳关三叠), becoming the most famous farewell song in Chinese history.
Literary Analysis
The morning rain washing the dust creates a scene of freshness and clarity that contrasts with the impending separation. Willows (柳) are a traditional farewell symbol in Chinese culture, as the word sounds like "stay" (留). The third line's urgency — "drink one more cup" — carries the weight of knowing this may be the last time friends share wine. The final line is devastating in its simplicity: beyond Yang Pass, there will be no one you know.
Details
Form
Seven-character Quatrain (七言绝句)
Theme
Friendship & Farewell
About Wang Wei (王维)
Wang Wei was a Tang Dynasty poet, musician, painter, and statesman known as the "Poet-Buddha" (诗佛) for the Zen Buddhist sensibility in his work. His nature poetry achieves a meditative stillness that has been compared to traditional Chinese landscape painting. He is considered one of the greatest landscape poets in Chinese literature.
2 poems by Wang Wei in our collection
Traditional Chinese
渭城朝雨浥輕塵，客舍青青柳色新。勸君更盡一杯酒，西出陽關無故人。