Birthday poem · November 7Start of Winter, the 19th solar term: winter begins.
Birth character
天 tiān · sky, heaven
In its oldest form, 天 is a person with a large head; it came to mean the sky.
疑是銀河落九天
“As if the Silver River fell from azure sky.” — Li Bai, ‘Viewing the Waterfall at Mount Lu’
Other dates with this poem: September 6
The poem
“Farewell to Vice-Prefect Du on His Way to Shuzhou” 送杜少府之任蜀州
- 城闕輔三秦chéng què fǔ sān qínThe city walls and gates are guarded by the Three Qin;
- 風煙望五津fēng yān wàng wǔ jīnthrough wind and mist I gaze toward the Five Fords.
- 與君離別意yǔ jūn lí bié yìThe feeling of parting I share with you,
- 同是宦遊人tóng shì huàn yóu rénfor we are both men who travel for office.
- 海內存知己hǎi nèi cún zhī jǐIf you have a friend who knows your heart,
- 天涯若比鄰tiān yá ruò bǐ líndistance cannot keep you apart.
- 無爲在岐路wú wéi zài qí lùSo let us not, at the fork in the road,
- 兒女共沾巾ér nǚ gòng zhān jīnlike children, wet our handkerchiefs with tears.
Why this poem
Wang Bo sees a friend off to Sichuan: "a true friend makes the world's ends close".
This day in the Chinese calendar
Solar term: Start of Winter.