Send Off Zhang Zirong, A Successful Candidate in the Provincial Level Imperial Examinations
送 张 子 容 进 举
夕 曛 山 照 灭
送 客 出 柴 门。
惆 怅 野 中 别
殷 勤 歧 路 言。
茂 林 余 偃 息
乔 木 尔 飞 翻。
无 使 “谷 风” 诮
须 令 友 道 存。
Song Zhang Zi Rong Jin Ju
Xi xun shan zhao mie
Song ke chu chai men.
Chou chang ye zhong bie
Yin qin qi lu yan.
Mao lin yu yan xi
Qiao mu er fei fan.
Wu shi “ Gu Feng” qiao
Xu ling you dao cun.
Send Off Zhang Zirong: A Successful Candidate in the Provincial Level Imperial Examinations
Sunset mountain mists, their glow fades away
Send off a visitor, leaving my secluded door.
Melancholy and sorrow, as you depart from the middle of this wilderness area
Give you these heartfelt words, as we go our separate ways.
Dense forest, my restful place of solitude
You, like a family of birds moving into the upper branches,
after the little ones learn to fly.
Do not let the Gu Feng moral of the story apply to you.
Notes:
Zhang Zirong: A hometown and life-long friend.
Gu Feng: From the You Wang; a book of ancient fables. The Gu Feng story tells of a man who gathered his allies together to conquer his neighbors and create a small city-state. He then forgot his indebtedness to those who helped him rise to power.