Seeing Off Vinaya Master An

皇甫冉Jinzhang Book Company (Jinzhang Shuju) · ChinaJun 2024

4.0

Word count: 3.6K words
Chapters: 48

Summary

A poem by Huangfu Ran, a renowned Tang dynasty literatus. Imagining a venerable monk's lonely, austere journey along a road of fine scenery, ending in meditative stillness in an empty forest, the poem expresses the poet's admiration for the solitary traveler's detachment from things, and his unease that the monk may yet find it hard to be wholly free of attachment to them.

Editor's review

'Seeing Off Attorney An' is a farewell poem by the Tang literatus Huangfu Ran, written to bid farewell to a monk. The poem imagines the eminent monk walking alone and coldly through beautiful scenery along the way, finally entering meditation in an empty forest, setting the outward journey against inner cultivation. On one hand the poet admires the traveler's detachment from things; on the other he feels uneasy about whether the monk can truly be free of attachment to things. This double attitude gives the short poem a subtle emotional tension. Its value for readers lies in that it is not only a farewell poem but also touches on Tang literati-monk relations, imaginings of meditative life, and reflection on the relation between self and things. Since the source provides no specific lines or annotations, readers should read it alongside Huangfu Ran's collected poems or an anthology of Tang monk poetry, noting the contrast between 'beautiful scenery' and 'empty forest' and the turn between 'admiration' and 'unease.' It suits slow reading in a quiet setting: first clarify the literal sense, then appreciate the poet's complex regard for the practitioner; it is not to be skimmed.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in Tang monk poetry and literati-monk relations
Literature lovers who wish to experience emotional turns and contrastive technique in short poems
Students of classical poetry appreciation who need to analyze layers of feeling
Readers fond of Zen themes who wish to savor the poem's atmosphere in slow reading

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting systematic meditation guidance or Buddhist doctrinal exposition
Beginners hoping for complete annotations and line-by-line translation
Readers who prefer strongly plotted, information-dense narrative works

Reading tips

Read the whole poem first and clarify the structural relation between the journey description and the closing meditation.
Grasp the two tones of admiration and unease, mark the turning point, and feel the poet's complex attitude.
Read with the background of Tang literati-monk relations in mind to understand the special tact of farewell to a monk.
Read alongside Huangfu Ran's other farewell poems and compare how he writes farewells to monks versus lay friends.

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
【玄元观送李源李风还奉先华阴】皇甫冉
【刘方平壁画山】皇甫冉
【登山歌】皇甫冉
【和郑少尹祭中岳寺北访萧居士越上方】皇甫冉
【秋夜寄所思】皇甫冉
【赋得郢路悲猿】皇甫冉
【杂言无锡惠山寺流泉歌】皇甫冉
【清明日青龙寺上方赋得多字】皇甫冉
【与张諲宿刘八城东庄】皇甫冉
【寄刘方平】皇甫冉
【曾东游以诗寄之】皇甫冉
【适荆州途次南阳赠何明府】皇甫冉
【秋夜戏题刘方平壁】皇甫冉
【问正上人疾】皇甫冉
【山中五咏?门柳】皇甫冉
【山中五咏?远山】皇甫冉
【山中五咏?南涧】皇甫冉
【山中五咏?春早】皇甫冉
【山中五咏?山馆】皇甫冉
【送窦十九叔向赴京】皇甫冉
【登石城戍望海寄诸暨严少府】皇甫冉
【和樊润州秋日登城楼】皇甫冉
【寄江东李判官】皇甫冉
【送蒋评事往福州】皇甫冉
【送从弟豫贬远州（一作刘长卿诗，题作送从弟贬袁州）】皇甫冉
【送钱唐路少府赴制举】皇甫冉
【赋得荆溪夜湍送蒋逸人归义兴山】皇甫冉
【送孔党赴举】皇甫冉
【齐郎中筵赋得的的帆向浦留别】皇甫冉
【送陆鸿渐栖霞寺采茶】皇甫冉
【泊丹阳与诸人同舟至马林溪遇雨】皇甫冉
【太常魏博士远出贼庭江外相逢因叙其事】皇甫冉
【送包佶赋得天津桥】皇甫冉
【上礼部杨侍郎】皇甫冉
【宿严维宅送包七（一作刘长卿诗，题下作送包佶）】皇甫冉
【同张侍御咏兴宁寺经藏院海石榴花】皇甫冉
【崔十四宅各赋一物得檐柳】皇甫冉
【送段明府】皇甫冉
【送王司直（一作刘长卿诗）】皇甫冉
【婕妤春怨】皇甫冉
【送魏十六还苏州】皇甫冉
【婕妤怨】皇甫冉
【送客】皇甫冉
【秋日东郊作】皇甫冉
【秋夜宿严维宅】皇甫冉
【见诸姬学玉台体】皇甫冉
【酬张二仓曹扬子所居见寄兼呈韩郎中】皇甫冉

FAQ

Is Attorney An in the poem a lawyer?

Here 'attorney' refers to a Buddhist monk skilled in upholding and understanding the precepts, not a modern legal professional. Reading him as a monk is necessary to grasp the relation between the farewell subject and images such as meditation and the empty forest. Understanding the word in its modern sense would easily lead away from the poem's intent.

Is the poet's attitude toward the monk admiration or worry?

Both. The poem admires his solitary journey free of attachment to things, yet feels uneasy that he may find it hard to be truly free of attachment. This double attitude is the source of the short poem's tension and should not be reduced to simple praise or simple worry. Note where the tone turns.

Can I understand this poem without annotations?

You can grasp the general sense of farewell and meditation, but the poem involves background such as monastic identity, meditation, and the relation between self and things, so without annotations one may read it superficially. It is best to read with annotations in Huangfu Ran's collected poems or an anthology of Tang monk poetry: first clarify the words, then appreciate the layers of feeling.

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About the author

皇甫冉 Author

Huangfu Ran was a poet of the Tang dynasty. His birth and death years, native place, and other biographical details are now unknown, and available public information is limited. The collection contains six of his works, including "Sending Off Master An," "Two Poems on Sacrificing at Zhanggong Cave," "Two Poems of Langtaosha," "Cold Water Clock at a Winter Night Gathering," "Attendant Censor Liu Is Granted Leave from Office by Imperial Order," and "Boating at the Rear Pavilion of Magistrate Li in the Third Month." Their subjects range from farewells and sacrifices to landscape, gatherings, and poetic exchanges, and they are commonly classified as classical poetry and miscellaneous prose. Judging from these pieces, his writing draws on everyday social occasions and seasonal scenery; his language is concise and his feeling restrained, and he is skilled at expressing parting thoughts and reflections within concrete scenes. Though his surviving works are few, they show him at home in both poetry and miscellaneous prose and give him some reference value within the Tang traditions of farewell and travel poetry.