Quàn JiǔUrging Wine 劝酒
Yu Wuling's toast, beloved in Japan as "Sayonara dake ga jinsei da."
Original Chinese text with pinyin
劝君金屈卮
quàn jūn jīn qū zhī
满酌不须辞
mǎn zhuó bù xū cí
花发多风雨
huā fā duō fēng yǔ
人生足别离
rén shēng zú bié lí
Simplified characters; traditional title: 勸酒.
English translation
I urge you—take this golden cup;
Filled to the brim, do not refuse.
When flowers bloom, wind and rain come much;
Human life is full of parting too.
Original translation by Poetune — literal but poetic, written for this site.
Line by line
Meaning and imagery
The first half is a cheerful insistence to drink. The second half explains why: flowers bring storms that scatter them, and life brings partings. The logic is sad but the mood is warm — drink now because the moment will not come again. The last line's word "足" (full of) carries both abundance and resignation.
Background
A little-known poem in China, made famous in Japan by Ibuse Masuji's translation, whose last line — "Life is nothing but goodbyes" — became a proverb.
Key words
- 金屈卮 jīn qū zhī
- a golden wine cup with a curved handle
- 满酌 mǎn zhuó
- to fill to the brim
- 足 zú
- full of, plenty of
About the poet: Yu Wuling
Yu Wuling was a little-known Late Tang poet. His short poem "Urging Wine" became famous in Japan through Ibuse Masuji's playful translation, "Sayonara dake ga jinsei da."
Lifetime: 9th century. Other famous works: Urging Wine (劝酒).