Parting from Wang Wei (after Meng Haoran)

Parting from Wang Wei (after Meng Haoran)

These quiet days are ending
and now I must leave.

I miss my home’s fragrant grasses
but will grieve at parting – we’ve

eased each other’s burdens on this road.
True friends are scarce in life.

I should just stay there alone, forever
behind the closed gate.

* * *

“Parting from Wang Wei” is included in my micro-chapbook, No Eye But The Moon’s, available via free download at Origami Poems Project.

The transliteration on Chinese-poems.com reads:

Quiet end what wait
Day day must go return
Wish seek fragrant grass go
Grieve with old friend separated
On road who mutual help
Understanding friend life this scarce
Only should observe solitude
Again close native area door

27 thoughts on “Parting from Wang Wei (after Meng Haoran)”

If translation programs get better, I can’t help thinking about how much will be lost. This is beautiful.

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robert okaji on August 6, 2018 at 10:36 am said:

Thank you, Ellen. I can’t imagine that translation programs will ever truly learn nuance.

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- Ellen Hawley on August 6, 2018 at 2:56 pm said:
  
  I hope not. My sense is that the sheer incoherence of what they hand you is what allows you the space you need to shape your translations.
  
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  - robert okaji on August 6, 2018 at 3:22 pm said:
    
    I do appreciate the space offered by the transliterations. They give the skeleton, and it’s up to the reader to flesh out the bones.
    
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Beautiful, Bob. However it’s stated, true friends in life are indeed scarce, and precious as solitude.

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robert okaji on August 6, 2018 at 10:38 am said:

Thank you, Cate. Yes, they are precious as solitude, which seems more difficult to achieve each day.

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Reading it along with the transliteration really makes it bleed with sadness. Great interpretation!

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robert okaji on August 6, 2018 at 10:38 am said:

Thank you, Pablo.

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Very beautiful. I also like the photograph of the beautiful grasses.

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robert okaji on August 6, 2018 at 12:08 pm said:

Thanks, Randy. The photo is from morguefile.com.

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Your interpretation is quietly powerful, and I love downloading your Micro-poetry and the origami, I’m definitely improving with my folding, and they’re almost neat and square now.

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robert okaji on August 6, 2018 at 9:22 pm said:

Thanks, Ivor. My folding skills have improved a bit, too. I like taking the origami microchaps to readings, to give them away.

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- ivor20 on August 7, 2018 at 2:56 am said:
  
  I’ve been your microchap books to my poetry group, and they like your poems Robert. 😊
  
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  - robert okaji on August 7, 2018 at 8:36 pm said:
    
    This calls for a toast!
    
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    - ivor20 on August 7, 2018 at 8:42 pm said:
      
      Ok I’ll be in that for sure, I’ve a nice soft pinot noir, called Bulloak, made by Zilzie Wines, from Karadoc, here in Victoria.
      
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      - robert okaji on August 7, 2018 at 8:58 pm said:
        
        I’ve a new cava to try!
        
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        ivor20 on August 7, 2018 at 9:03 pm said:
        
        Cheers my friend, clink, clink, (sound effects)…
        
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        robert okaji on August 8, 2018 at 5:01 am said:
        
        Cheers! 🥂
        
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        ivor20 on August 8, 2018 at 5:04 am said:
        
        🍷🍷🤗😉
        
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