赋得古原草送别
白居易〔唐代〕
离离原上草,一岁一枯荣。
野火烧不尽,春风吹又生。
远芳侵古道,晴翠接荒城。
又送王孙去,萋萋满别情。
Explanation of Ancient Chinese Poetry
The wild grass grows luxuriantly on the prairie, withering and reviving year after year.
Wildfires cannot burn away the grass everywhere; with the spring breeze, it will grow again.
The fragrant grass covers the ancient path in the distance, and under the sunshine, the bright green grassland connects with the deserted city.
Today, I bid farewell to an old friend again, and even the lush grass is filled with farewell sentiments.
Annotations
赋得（fù dé）：To compose a poem on an assigned theme from an ancient poem or idiom. The title of the poem is usually prefixed with the word “Fude”. This was a way for ancient people to learn how to compose poems, or for literati to compose poems on assigned themes during gatherings, or for poetry composition during imperial examinations.
离离（lí lí）：The lush appearance of grass.
一岁一枯荣（yī suì yī kū róng）：Wither, withering; flourish, thriving. Wild grass will flourish and wither once a year.
远芳侵古道（yuǎn fāng qīn gǔ dào）：Aroma, referring to the strong fragrance of wild grass. 远芳（yuǎn fāng）：The fragrance of grass spreads far. 侵（qīn）, invade, cover. The distant fragrant wild grass has grown all the way to the ancient postal road.
晴翠（qíng cuì）：Bright and green grass.
王孙（wáng sūn）：Originally referring to the descendants of nobles, here it refers to distant friends.
萋萋（qī qī）：Describing grass growing luxuriantly.
Creation Background
“Fu De Guyuancao Songbie” is Bai Juyi’s masterpiece that brought him fame. This poem, through the depiction of wild grass on the ancient plain, expresses the poet’s deep reluctance to bid farewell to his friend. It is both an ode to wild grass and a eulogy of life.
The first four lines emphasize the diachronic beauty of the wild grass’s life, while the last four lines focus on its synchronic beauty.
The entire poem is well-structured, with natural and fluent language, neat opposition, and a seamless blend of scenery and emotion, creating a cohesive artistic conception. It stands as a masterpiece within the “Fu De” genre.
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