Shào Nián XíngSong of Youth 少年行
Wang Wei on young men of Chang'an drinking together, horses tied to the willows.
Original Chinese text with pinyin
新丰美酒斗十千
xīn fēng měi jiǔ dòu shí qiān
咸阳游侠多少年
xián yáng yóu xiá duō shǎo nián
相逢意气为君饮
xiāng féng yì qì wèi jūn yǐn
繋马高楼垂柳边
jì mǎ gāo lóu chuí liǔ biān
Simplified characters; traditional title: 少年行.
English translation
New Feng's fine wine costs ten thousand a measure;
Xianyang's gallants are mostly young men.
When they meet, in high spirits, they drink to each other,
tying their horses by the willows below the tall tower.
Original translation by Poetune — literal but poetic, written for this site.
Line by line
Meaning and imagery
Wang Wei on young men of Chang'an drinking together, horses tied to the willows. The scene stays with you.
Background
Wang Wei on young men of Chang'an drinking together, horses tied to the willows.
Key words
- 新丰 xīn fēng
- key word in the poem
- 美酒 měi jiǔ
- key word in the poem
- 斗十 dòu shí
- key word in the poem
About the poet: Wang Wei
Wang Wei was a poet, painter, musician and court official. A devout Buddhist, he wrote spare, luminous landscape verse; later critics said there is "a painting in his poems and a poem in his paintings." He is sometimes called the "Buddha of Poetry."
Lifetime: c. 699–761. Other famous works: Miscellaneous Poem (You Have Come from Home) (杂诗); Farewell (Dismounting to Drink) (送别); Autumn Evening in the Mountains (山居秋暝); Longing (相思); Deer Park (鹿柴); Bamboo Grove Retreat (竹里馆); Farewell to Yuan the Second on His Mission to Anxi (送元二使安西); Thinking of My Brothers on the Double Ninth (九月九日忆山东兄弟); Birdsong in the Ravine (鸟鸣涧); Joys of the Countryside (田园乐); Floating on the Han River (汉江临泛); In the Mountains (山中); Farewell in the Mountains (山中送别); Long Rain at Wangchuan (积雨辋川庄作); Magnolia Bank (辛夷坞); Seeing Off Shen Zifu (送沈子福之江东); Reply to Vice-Prefect Zhang (酬张少府); A Quiet Matter (书事); Song of Youth (少年行); My Retreat at Zhongnan (终南别业); Seeing Off Prefect Li of Zizhou (送梓州李使君).
More by Wang Wei
- Farewell to Yuan Er on His Mission to Anxi送元二使安西
- Deer Park鹿柴
- Bamboo Grove Retreat竹里馆
- Thinking of My Brothers on the Double Ninth九月九日忆山东兄弟
- Farewell (Dismounting to Drink)送别
- Autumn Evening in the Mountains山居秋暝
- Longing相思
- Miscellaneous Poem (You Have Come from Home)杂诗