Jethro Libutan
Seeing Off a Friend By Li Bai (Li Bo)
Green hills above the northern wall,White water winding east of the city.
On this spot our single act of parting,
The lonely tumbleweed journeys ten thousand li.
Drifting clouds echo the traveler's thoughts,
The setting sun reflects my old friend's feelings.
You wave your hand and set off from this place,
Your horse whinnies as it leaves.
The image connects to the poem in a symbolic way, the title of the poem is "Seeing Off a Friend". In this image, a friend is departing from visiting the narrator, his friend, the poem talks about friends departure so there is a connection between the picture itself and the poem.
Biographical Information about the Poet: Li Bo, a Chinese poet, during the Tang Dynasty grew up in the Sichuan Province. He left home to travel the Yangtze River Valley to write poetry. Li would be appointed by Emperor Xuanzong to Hanlin Academy but later expelled. Sometime later Li would later be arrested and pardoned afterward for aiding Prince of Yun who leads a revolt. After serving his time he would walk around Yangtze Valley to write poems again.
Seeing off a friend is about a friend leaving his friends place, the city, and the sorrow departure brings when leaving close family and friends. The speakers' identity is related to the poem very personally when he leaves home to travel the Yangzte River and travels his entire life. When Li Bai writes this poem he is probably writing from experience, we can conclude this from a part of his biography and him leaving home and traveling his entire life, according to his biography. Thus, Li writing a poem about leaving highlights his identity, thus his poem is a part of his (the speakers') identity. The figurative language like imagery ¨The lonely tumbleweed journeys ten thousand li "and ¨The setting sun reflects my old friend's feelings¨ impacts and sets a mellow, solemn tone for the poem. And the personification in these quotes also is usually only actions of a people in pain. Thus, these actions like the sun disappearing for the night and lonely journeying further enforce the depression leaving causes. The absence of a rhyme scheme, stanza division, and enjambment impacts the poem. Since there is no rhyme scheme and enjambment it is concluded that leaving somewhere is disorganized, eventful, and chaotic just like a poet whose poem who does not have a rhyme scheme. The tone of this poem is mellow, depressing, and reluctant. These words identify and describe the tone and reinforce the identity of a speaker who seems to believe and writes in regret about leaving important people and places to him and his life. Li portrays the action of leaving as unpleasant and unbearable. The theme of the poem "Seeing Off a Friend" is the act of leaving is one's destiny, it is meant to be, and although it is hard to leave someone or a place, you will eventually move on from it.
http://www.chinese-poems.com/lb15t.html
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Li Bai seems to utilize words that indicate movement or direction. Words like above, northern, eastern, drifting, etc. all excellently make the reader really understand his feelings about parting from his friend. All the different directions mentioned help emphasize how far a friend can feel and how 'directionless' a person can feel after loosing a friend. Do you think the use of landmarks/places that a person from the country would recognize were put there to make the poem feel familiar to the intended audience?
ReplyDeleteThe poets choice of words really makes the reader see and feel what the poem is describing.This poem is about a person leaving their hometown and leaving everything behind them including a friend. You can tell from the gloomy tone that the person is not happy about the other leaving. Even though you know someone is leaving I would have enjoyed knowing why and where they chose to leave to. This poem is about change,friendships,parting, and adjusting.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your theme statement that while it is hard to leave someone, you will eventually move one. Words like "echo" and the "setting sun" each day show how those you leave behind will always be remembered, even after you have gotten over the event. The author also describes the emotions felt when leaving someone behind. He reveals it is a trying time with quotes such as, "clouds echo the traveler's thoughts," and "the setting sun reflects my old friend's feelings." So therefore, even though it may be hard to leave someone behind, it is a part of life that we will all go through and have to get over at some point.
ReplyDeleteI like how the poet describes how hard it is to accept someone leaving. The poets choice of words like "setting sun" is very creative. I also agree with your theme statement, it really does show how hard it was for the poet to leave someone. Ill like to know more about the poets personal life and how he chooses what to write about. The poem is great and has a meaning that not only he can relate to.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the the poem is also about solitude. It is supported by line 3 where the author says "The lonely tumbleweed journeys ten thousand li". You said in your analysis that he traveled his whole life so he probably experienced a lot of loneliness. I this this poem is also about nature as well. I noticed his use of a lot of imagery such as "green hills","White water", and the "setting sun".
ReplyDelete