FAREWELL TO MENG DE
These twenty years,
all things were equal
Today—the road forks
suddenly east and west
Ah, if the chief but gave the word
—Discharged home—
to live side by side for the rest
of this mortal coil
重别梦得
二十年来万事同，
今朝岐路忽西东。
皇恩若许归田去，
晚岁当为邻舍翁。
W. H. Chong paints and writes, and is the design director of Text Publishing. His 2023 book
Portraits collected 300 of his pictures, and his painting of Michelle de Kretser is in the collection of the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra. You can find his work on Instagram @w.h.chong
Liǔ Zōngyuán 柳宗元 (773—819 CE) was a middle period Tang poet and politician, and an innovative writer. He promoted the simplicity and directness of ancient Chinese prose, a move towards authenticity considered a hallmark of Tang poetry. He was exiled from the imperial government in 805. His poetry is thought to be deep and melancholic, often reflecting on exile and isolation.
