Seeing a Guest Off as He Returns to Changzhou

杨凝Jinzhang Book Company (Jinzhang Shuju) · ChinaJun 2024

3.7

Word count: 2.4K words
Chapters: 48

Summary

"Seeing a Guest Off to Changzhou" is one of the representative works of Yang Ning, a famous Tang dynasty man of letters.

Editor's review

"Seeing a Guest Off to Changzhou" is a farewell poem by the Tang dynasty writer Yang Ning, short in length but long in feeling. Unlike many farewell poems that elaborate sorrow at parting, this poem fixes its gaze on the friend's road home and on Changzhou, the destination, lodging in reluctant parting a wish for a safe journey and a well-kept homeland, restrained yet sincere. Yang Ning's surviving works are few; this poem's language is clear and smooth, its imagery plain, and it serves as a small window onto the variety of Tang farewell poetry. This printing uses the edition issued by Shanghai Jinzhang Book Company; the traditional characters and old-style layout preserve the reading texture of traditional printing, which holds a special charm for readers accustomed to the original appearance of old books. In reading, it may be set against farewell works by masters such as Wang Wei and Wang Bo to sense the differences in emotional expression and structure between early and high Tang and mid-to-late Tang farewell poems. For classroom teaching or parent-child reading, it is best accompanied by notes and background explanation to help readers bridge the gaps of old words and place names.

Who it's for

A good fit for

General readers who love Tang poetry and wish to broaden their reading of farewell poems
Language teachers needing short classical poems for classroom explanation
Collectors interested in old-style printing and the reading of ancient books
Readers who want light classical poetry reading for commutes or bedtime

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting long narrative or plot-driven reading
Beginners in classical poetry who need detailed modern annotation and vernacular translation
Readers who find traditional characters and old-style typesetting difficult

Reading tips

Read the whole poem first to grasp the farewell situation, then work through place names and imagery line by line, and finally read again to savor the layers of feeling.
Read it against famous pieces such as "Seeing Yuan Er Off on a Mission to Anxi" and compare how different farewell poems handle emotion.
Mark unfamiliar place names and allusions as you read, look them up together, then return to the whole poem.
For teaching, have students rewrite the poem as a modern letter to feel how farewell expression has changed.

About the publisher

Jinzhang Book Company (Jinzhang Shuju) China · Founded in 1901

Jinzhang Book Company (Jinzhang Shuju) was a private publishing and distribution house in Shanghai during the late Qing and early Republican periods, issuing traditional works by lithographic printing. Judging from the 1,194 titles in the collection, its publishing focused on classical poetry, Eastern philosophy, historical reading, traditional Chinese medical texts, and canonical works, along with books on literary appreciation. Representative titles include the poetry and prose collections of Du Fu and Ouyang Xiu; historical works such as the Book of Han and Zizhi Tongjian; classical texts such as the Book of Documents and Mencius; and specialized and literary classics such as Treatise on Cold Damage and Li Sao. Its author resources cover major figures across the ages, including Du Fu, Ban Gu, Sima Guang, Zhang Zhongjing, Qu Yuan, Ouyang Xiu, and Tang Shenwei, reflecting the house's characteristic reliance on traditional scholarship and medical literature while serving general readers. Public information on its early history and operational details is limited, so no conjecture is offered here.

版权信息
【小苑春望宫池柳色】崔绩
【小苑春望宫池柳色】张季略
【小苑春望宫池柳色】裴达
【南至日太史登台书云物】裴逵
【小苑春望宫池柳色】沈回
【长安春夜宿开元观】杨凭
【晚泊江戍】杨凭
【巴江雨夜】杨凭
【边塞行】杨凭
【乐游园望月】杨凭
【千叶桃花】杨凭
【春中泛舟】杨凭
【雨中怨秋】杨凭
【秋日独游曲江】杨凭
【寄别】杨凭
【边情】杨凭
【早发湘中】杨凭
【海榴】杨凭
【春情】杨凭
【送客往荆州】杨凭
【赠马炼师】杨凭
【湘江泛舟】杨凭
【送别】杨凭
【赠窦牟（一作窦洛阳牟见简篇章，偶赠绝句）】杨凭
【送别】杨凝
【送客东归】杨凝
【送客归湖南】杨凝
【送客归淮南】杨凝
【春情】杨凝
【秋夜听捣衣】杨凝
【从军行】杨凝
【和直禁省】杨凝
【留别】杨凝
【送客往洞庭】杨凝
【别友人】杨凝
【初渡淮北岸】杨凝
【咏雨】杨凝
【柳絮】杨凝
【花枕】杨凝
【送客往鄜州】杨凝
【送客往夏州】杨凝
【春霁晚望】杨凝
【唐昌观玉蕊花】杨凝
【别李协】杨凝
【初次巴陵】杨凝
【上巳】杨凝
【春怨】杨凝

FAQ

Is this poem suitable for readers with no grounding in classical poetry?

It can serve as light reading for approaching classical poetry, but this printing centers on the original text and offers limited annotation. Beginners are advised to first use a modern annotated translation to understand the words and background, then return to this printing for its original rhythm; the threshold will be much lower.

Is the old-style printing hard to read?

This printing preserves traditional layout and characters, requiring some adjustment for readers used to simplified horizontal type. It is best to become familiar with the content first and then read against the layout; for those studying typesetting, it is all the more valuable.

How should one understand Yang Ning's place in Tang poetry history?

Yang Ning's surviving works are limited and he is not a major Tang poet, but his farewell poems are clear in language and genuine in feeling, and can serve as a sample of mid- and lower-tier Tang literati poetry. Read him not by the standard of great masters but for his plain, natural expression.

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About the author

杨凝 Author

Yang Ning is an author about whom little is known today. Publicly available sources are limited, and his exact native place, dates of birth and death, and courtesy name are not clearly recorded; he is known only as a writer of classical poetry. One work by him is currently included in the collection, namely Seeing a Guest Off on His Return to Changzhou. Judging from the extant piece, Yang Ning's writing centers on the theme of parting, building scenes around a traveler's distant return and farewells at the crossroads, with a restrained tone and genuine feeling. The poet is skilled at using the scenery along the road and the sights before his eyes to convey the sorrow of separation, gathering emotion within a limited space so that farewell feeling emerges naturally rather than being stated too directly. Such works stay close to everyday life and scenes of social exchange, with simple, clean language and plain imagery, reflecting a common lyrical approach in classical farewell poetry. Because so few of Yang Ning's works survive, a full picture of the man and his poetry remains difficult to establish, and his literary standing and influence can only be glimpsed through the extant poems. Readers who wish to learn about this poet may begin with Seeing a Guest Off on His Return to Changzhou and appreciate the sentiment and style of his farewell verse.