Tang poem · five-character regulated verse唐诗 · 五言律诗

sòng送sēng僧guī归rì日běn本

qián钱qǐ起Qian Qi · Tang唐

Seeing a Monk Off Home to Japan

shàng上guó国suí随yuán缘zhù住

lái来tú途ruò若mèng梦xíng行

fú浮tiān天cāng沧hǎi海yuǎn远

qù去shì世fǎ法zhōu舟qīng轻

shuǐ水yuè月tōng通chán禅guān观

yú鱼lóng龙tīng听fàn梵shēng声

wéi惟lián怜yì一dēng灯yǐng影

wàn万lǐ里yǎn眼zhōng中míng明

Underlined words have notes: tap one. The Pinyin button below shows or hides all pinyin. 一 and 不 are marked with the tone you actually say.字下有虚线的，点开有注释。下方的“拼音”按钮可以显示或隐藏全部拼音。“一”“不”标的是实际读出来的变调。

Line by line逐句翻译

上国随缘住Following chance, you came to stay in the great land;你随着机缘来到中国住下，
来途若梦行your journey here was like walking in a dream.来时的路像在梦中走过。
浮天沧海远The sea stretches far, with the sky floating on it;大海连着天，遥远无边，
去世法舟轻now you leave, and your boat of the teaching sails off lightly.你离开这里，载着佛法的船轻轻远去。
水月通禅观The moon in the water joins with your calm meditation;海上的月影和你的禅心相通，
鱼龙听梵声the fish and dragons of the sea listen to your chanting.海里的鱼龙也来听你念经。
惟怜一灯影Most of all I love the light of your single lamp:我最爱你船上那一盏灯光，
万里眼中明even ten thousand miles away it shines bright in my eyes.即使远隔万里，在我眼里也依然明亮。

Words字词注释

上国shàng guó: shàng guó: the great land, a respectful name for Tang China.上国：日本人对唐朝的尊称，指中国。
随缘suí yuán: suí yuán: a Buddhist phrase, to go along with whatever chance brings.随缘：佛家的话，顺着机缘，不强求。
来途lái tú: lái tú: the journey here to China.来途：来中国时的路。
若梦行ruò mèng xíng: ruò mèng xíng: like walking in a dream, so far and unreal was the trip.若梦行：像在梦里走路一样，形容路远又渺茫。
浮天fú tiān: fú tiān: sea and sky meet, as if the sky floats on the water.浮天：海水连着天，好像天浮在海上。
沧海cāng hǎi: cāng hǎi: the vast blue-green sea.沧海：大海。沧，青绿色。
去世qù shì: qù shì: to leave this world, here meaning to leave China.去世：离开这个世界，这里指离开中国。
法舟fǎ zhōu: fǎ zhōu: the boat of the Buddhist teaching, meaning the monk's boat.法舟：载着佛法的船，指僧人坐的船。
水月shuǐ yuè: shuǐ yuè: the moon reflected in the water.水月：水中的月影。
禅观chán guān: chán guān: sitting in Buddhist meditation and looking deeply with a calm mind.禅观：坐禅时静心观想。
鱼龙yú lóng: yú lóng: fish and dragons, all the creatures of the sea.鱼龙：海里的鱼和龙，泛指水中的生灵。
梵声fàn shēng: fàn shēng: the sound of chanting Buddhist scriptures.梵声：念佛经的声音。
惟怜wéi lián: wéi lián: to love only, to treasure.惟怜：只爱，最爱。
一灯影yì dēng yǐng: yī dēng yǐng: the light of one lamp. Buddhists often compare their teaching to a lamp that lights up the heart.一灯影：一盏灯的光。佛家常用灯比喻佛法，能照亮人心。

Background创作背景

In the Tang dynasty, Japan often sent envoys and monks to China to study Buddhism and Chinese culture. Qian Qi wrote this poem to see off a Japanese monk going home. We no longer know the monk's name. Going from China to Japan meant crossing the open sea, which was very dangerous then, so the poet worried about him. We do not know exactly when the poem was written.

唐朝时，日本常常派使者和僧人来中国学习佛法和文化。这首诗是钱起送一位日本僧人回国时写的。这位僧人叫什么名字，已经不清楚了。从中国到日本要渡过大海，在当时非常危险，所以诗人特别牵挂他。写作的具体时间也不清楚。

The poet作者

Qian Qi was a Tang poet of the middle period; sources disagree on his dates. He was one of the "Ten Talents of the Dali Era", Dali being a reign name of Emperor Daizong. His poems are fresh and graceful. His lines "The song ends and no one is in sight; on the river, a few peaks stand green" are widely known.

钱起，唐代中期诗人，生卒年说法不一。他是“大历十才子”之一，“大历”是唐代宗的年号。他的诗清新秀丽，名句“曲终人不见，江上数峰青”流传很广。

The mood意境

The whole poem has a Buddhist feel. It begins by saying the monk came to China "following chance", and that his journey was like a dream. It is said gently, as if everything simply happened. Then comes the way home: the sea meets the sky and is very far, yet his boat is "light", because his heart is calm and he carries the teaching, so he fears nothing. The middle lines are lovely. The moon shines in the sea, as clear as his meditating mind, and even the fish and dragons come to hear him chant. At the end the poet says he loves the lamp on the boat most of all: even ten thousand miles away, it stays bright in his eyes. It is the boat's lamp, it is like the light of the teaching, and it is also the friendship between the two men.

这首诗处处带着佛家的味道。开头说僧人“随缘”来中国，来时像做梦，说得轻轻的，好像一切都是自然而然。接着写回去的路：大海连天，非常遥远，可他的船却“轻”，因为他心里平静，带着佛法，什么都不怕。中间两句很美：月亮映在海水里，和他的禅心一样清澈；连海里的鱼龙都来听他念经。最后诗人说，他最爱船上的那一盏灯，就算远隔万里，也一直亮在他眼里。这盏灯是船上的灯，也像是佛法的光，更像两人之间的友情。