Parting

Woke up around 3am and this first line suddenly came into my mind…

1 幾度黄昏金葭首 How long in the evening will reed tips be gilded into gold?
2 隨風逍遙客難留 Carefree like the wind, ‘tis difficult to retain a wandering heart.
3 共手朝別依不捨 With reluctance, still clasping your hand, you parted in the morn,
4 觸景晚來更添愁 And now things remind me how more fretful nights had become.

1 金 when used as a verb means “to make something into gold”. 昏 has many meanings, “to darken” as in 昏暗, “befuddled”, as in 昏君, to faint, to become hazy as in 昏迷. 黄昏 literally means “darkening of yellow” etc.

2 客 is someone who is temporary at a location, i.e., a guest or wanderer.

3 共/拱手 is the clasping of hands raised to the chest level as a respectful sign of greeting. Used here as a respectful sign to delay or even to hold on to the departing person physically.

4 晚來 is the keyword of the poem. It can be interpreted in three ways:

a. “coming of the night” - sorrow in the night.
b. “coming late” - the full gamut of emotions did not hit fully till much later.
c. “old age”. This poem laments about youth fleeting away from one’s life.

Tuesday, September 5, 2023