1, sailing far off from Jingmen Ferry, soon you will be with people in the south. Where the mountains end and the plains begin, and the river winds through wilderness. The moon is lifted like a mirror, sea-clouds gleam like palaces. And the water has brought you a touch of home, to draw your boat three hundred miles. -from the Tang Dynasty: Li Bai's bidding a friend farewell at jingmen ferry
Interpretation in the vernacular: I traveled by boat, passed by Jingmen and came to the hometown of Chu. Castle Peak gradually disappears, and Ping Ye is endless. The Yangtze River surges and flows into the vast wasteland. The moon reflects the river, just like flying a mirror tomorrow; Clouds rise and change endlessly, forming a mirage. The water in my hometown is reluctant to part with me, and Wan Li sent me boating not far away.
2. Nanpu is sad, and the west wind is blowing in autumn. Look back at once, heart - broken, good to leave, do not look back. -from the Tang dynasty: Bai Juyi's Nanpu Bie
Interpretation in the vernacular: In Nanpu, the bleak and sad parting, the autumn wind is bleak. Looking back once is deeply grieved, so leave well and don't look back.
3. If you don't say goodbye, the door will be changed to fire, and the world will be covered with red dust. -from the Song Dynasty: Su Shi's "Lin Jiang Xian Send Qian Mu Fu"
Interpretation in the vernacular: Since we parted in Beijing for three years, you are still wandering around the world.
4, with a blue line of mountains north of the wall, and east of the city a white curve of water. Here we say goodbye to each other, and you, like fatherless, drift in the wind, and travel far away. -from the Tang dynasty: Li Bai's "seeing friends off"
vernacular interpretation: verdant mountains lie across the north of the city wall, and sparkling water surrounds the east of the city. Here we say goodbye to each other, and you are floating in the wind like a lonely tent, traveling thousands of miles away.
5, the Dongjiang River in Dongting is west, and the curtain is still and the sunset is late. Boarding Wu and Shu to divide the land horizontally, migrating to the lake and mountain to dusk. It's still a long way to go to Wan Li, but it's more difficult than three years. -from the Song Dynasty: Chen Yuyi's Two Poems of Climbing Yueyang Tower
Interpretation in vernacular Chinese: The majestic Yueyang Tower stands in the east of Dongting Lake and the west of the Yangtze River. At sunset, there is no evening breeze, and the signboard on the pavilion is still. Boarding the boundary between Wu and Shu (Jingzhou), I wandered in the dusk of the lake and mountain. Trip to Wan Li, what's your mood today? I have been running for three years to avoid war.