Zèng Wāng LúnFor Wang Lun 赠汪伦
Li Bai's thank-you to a friend who sang him farewell.
Original Chinese text with pinyin
李白乘舟将欲行
lǐ bái chéng zhōu jiāng yù xíng
忽闻岸上踏歌声
hū wén àn shàng tà gē shēng
桃花潭水深千尺
táo huā tán shuǐ shēn qiān chǐ
不及汪伦送我情
bù jí wāng lún sòng wǒ qíng
Simplified characters; traditional title: 贈汪倫.
English translation
I, Li Bai, sit aboard a ship about to go,
When suddenly on shore footsteps and songs o'erflow.
The Lake of Peach Blossom is a thousand fathoms deep,
But not so deep as the friendship Wang Lun and I keep.
Original translation by Poetune — literal but poetic, written for this site.
Line by line
Meaning and imagery
Li Bai breaks convention by naming himself in the first line and his friend in the last, which makes the poem sound like spontaneous speech. The surprise of songs and foot-stamping on the shore is a warm, informal farewell. The final comparison measures friendship against a deep pool and finds friendship deeper — a simple image that made an unknown villager immortal.
Background
Written around 755 at Peach Blossom Pool in Jingxian (Anhui), where a local man, Wang Lun, had entertained Li Bai with wine.
Key words
- 踏歌 tà gē
- singing while stamping the beat
- 桃花潭 Táohuā Tán
- Peach Blossom Pool
- 不及 bù jí
- not as much as
About the poet: Li Bai
Li Bai (also romanized Li Po; courtesy name Taibai) is celebrated as the "Immortal of Poetry." Raised in Sichuan, he spent much of his life wandering, briefly served at the court of Emperor Xuanzong in Chang'an, and is remembered for his love of wine, the moon and untamed nature. He and Du Fu are regarded as the two greatest poets of the Tang dynasty.
Lifetime: 701–762. Other famous works: Farewell to a Friend (送友人); Song of Qiupu (White Hair) (秋浦歌); Midnight Song of Wu (Autumn) (子夜吴歌); Question and Answer in the Mountains (山中问答); For Wang Lun (赠汪伦); The Road Is Hard (行路难); Sitting Alone Facing Jingting Mountain (独坐敬亭山); Written as a Traveler (客中作); Song of the Moon over Mount Emei (峨眉山月歌); Resentment (怨情); Farewell to Meng Haoran at Yellow Crane Tower (黄鹤楼送孟浩然之广陵); Quiet Night Thoughts (静夜思); Bring In the Wine (将进酒); Drinking Alone Under the Moon (月下独酌); Viewing the Waterfall at Mount Lu (望庐山瀑布); Leaving Baidi City at Dawn (早发白帝城); The Hard Road to Shu (蜀道难).
Names from this poem
More by Li Bai
- Quiet Night Thoughts静夜思
- Farewell to Meng Haoran at Yellow Crane Tower黄鹤楼送孟浩然之广陵
- Leaving Baidi City at Dawn早发白帝城
- Viewing the Waterfall at Mount Lu望庐山瀑布
- Drinking Alone Under the Moon月下独酌
- Midnight Song of Wu (Autumn)子夜吴歌
- Song of the Moon over Mount Emei峨眉山月歌
- Song of Qiupu (White Hair)秋浦歌