李白 渡荆門送别 translation: Crossing at Jingmen and Saying Goodbye, by Li Bai

This is a translation and annotation of the poem 渡荆門送别 (Dù Jīng Mén Sòng Bié) by the Tang dynasty poet Li Bai (李白).

渡荆門送别

dù Jīng Mén sòng bié [ferry] [_Jing_] [_men_] [deliver] [depart] Crossing at Jingmen and Saying Goodbye

渡遠荆門外， dù yuǎn jīng mén wài [ferry] [far] [_Jing_] [_men_] [outside] Crossing far outside Jingmen

來從楚國游。 lái cóng chǔ guó yóu [come] [from] [_Chu_] [land] [travel] Coming travelling from Chu

山隨平野盡， shān suí píng yě jǐn [mountain] [along] [level] [field] [exhaust] Mountains along flat plains come to an end

江入大荒流。 jiāng rù dà huāng liú [river] [enter] [large] [uncultivated] [flow] The river enters a vast wilderness and flows

月下飛天鏡， yuè xià fēi tiān jìng [moon] [descend] [fly] [sky] [mirror] The moon descends flying in the sky like a mirror _[飛天](http://www.zdic.net/cd/ci/3/ZdicE9ZdicA3Zdic9E66164.htm "Meaning of 飛天") could be a binome meaning 'flying things', or possibly some sort of airborne dragon._

雲生結海樓。 yún shēng jié hǎi lóu [cloud] [born] [bind] [sea] [building] The clouds form, congealing into ocean towers _This probably refers to reflections of clouds on the surface of the ocean._

仍憐故鄉水， réng lián gù xiàng shuǐ [still] [pity] [old] [village] [water] One still longs for the waterways of one’s home village

萬里送行舟。 yī wàn lǐ sòng xíng zhōu [ten thousand] [mile] [deliver] [travel] [boat] Send the boat off on its ten thousand mile journey