Tang Dynasty
送别
下马饮君酒，
问君何所之。
君言不得意，
归卧南山陲。
但去莫复问，
白云无尽时。
Translation
Dismount and drink a cup of wine, my friend; I ask where you are going. You say you have found no fulfillment in the world and will return to dwell at the edge of South Mountain. Then go, and I will ask no more. The white clouds stretch on without end.
Analysis
Wang Wei’s “Farewell” is remarkable for its quietness. The scene is minimal: a horse, a cup of wine, and a question asked at parting. The friend’s answer reveals disappointment with the world and a decision to withdraw to South Mountain. Wang Wei does not argue, persuade, or lament. “Go then; I will ask no more” is not indifference, but a form of understanding. The final image of endless white clouds transforms personal frustration into a larger, freer realm. In Wang Wei’s poetry, clouds often suggest withdrawal, spaciousness, and release from worldly entanglement. The poem’s emotional depth lies in its restraint: it honors the friend’s departure without trying to possess it.
About the Author
Wang Wei was a major High Tang poet, painter, and musician. His poetry is known for quiet imagery, balanced composition, and a contemplative atmosphere often associated with Buddhist thought. He wrote especially well about mountains, rivers, reclusion, and parting. Because his own life combined official service with a strong attraction to retreat and spiritual stillness, his farewell poems often turn personal separation into a larger meditation on worldly frustration and natural freedom.