So glad this little card found its way to you — a quiet meeting of bamboo and ancient verse.
Here at Tokaboo, we bring you lines written a thousand years ago… and make them feel like they were written just yesterday.
Let’s rediscover the timeless soul of Chinese poetry — and see how its beauty still echoes through modern life, one verse at a time.
“Farewell to Prefect Du”– A poetry of Friendship and Courage
There are always a few special people along the way.
We remember those years when we huddled in a corner café, holding warm cups, talking about wild dreams. Outside, the rain drizzled, but we’d burst into laughter over some silly joke. Later, some went far away, some changed paths—Life took us in different directions. But even miles apart, as long as that place in your heart remains, when we meet again, it still brings a smile, and we exchange the familiar greeting: ‘It’s been a while! How have you been?’
This echoes one of China’s most famous lines from the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD), a golden age of ART and POETRY. Wang Bo’s Farewell to Prefect Du transforms the sorrow of parting into strength, turning distance into closeness.
Wang Bo (650-676 AD), a literary prodigy, wrote this for his friend Du Shaoqing, who was leaving for distant Sichuan. In ancient China, long journeys were perilous, and goodbyes often felt like forever. Yet instead of dwelling on sadness, Wang Bo offered courage:
“Souls in sync, oceans shrink”
A timeless comfort for anyone leaving home for duty or dreams.
“Inscription on West Forest Temple” – A Poetry of PERSPECTIVE and WISDOM
We often find ourselves standing too close to see the whole picture.
Like being deep in a mist-veiled forest, where every tree stands distinct yet the whole landscape stays hidden. Sometimes we cling to what’s before our eyes—convinced we see clearly, unaware of how much we’re missing. Only when we step back—through time, through distance—do patterns emerge and truths become clear.
This poem originates from China’s Song Dynasty (960-1279 AD), an era of philosophical depth and artistic refinement. In “Inscription on West Forest Temple”, Su Shi transforms mountain-gazing into a metaphor for life’s paradoxes.
Su Shi (1037-1101 AD), a cultural giant of ancient China, akin to a cross between a philosopher, poet, and scholar-official, wrote this in 1084 when traveling from Huangzhou to Ruzhou. Passing by Jiujiang with friends, he was inspired by Mount Lu’s breathtaking scenery and composed several landscape poems—this being the most profound. Political exile became a turning point that forged his deeper understanding of life.
“Truth hides when you’re inside the view.”
To see the whole truth, step outside your limited view and let go of personal biases. Whether in life’s challenges or the pursuit of truth, always stay humble before nature.
“Parting at Linjiang: A Farewell to Qian Mufu” ——A Poetry of Journeys and Junctions
“Every meeting carries the quiet weight of goodbye.
Like travelers passing through an old inn—sharing wine by lamplight, laughing over stories, only to leave at dawn with nothing but memories. We cling to the illusion of forever, mistaking life’s rest stops for final destinations. Yet it’s precisely this transience that makes each meeting precious.
Su Shi wrote these Song Dynasty Poems in 1091 while seeing off his old friend Qian Mufu in Hangzhou. They had been reunited after three years apart – a brief moment of warmth before parting again. Su Shi had endured political exile multiple times, and both men understood life’s unpredictability and the fleeting nature of human connections. Yet here, he turns a routine into something deeper—finding beauty in connections that last just a moment:
“Life’s an uphill journey，
we’re all passing travelers.”
Every human connection is a crossing of paths. Host or guest, we’re all wayfarers—making kindness our only lasting baggage.
“Leaving Chang’an: A Sojourner’s Verse” – A Poetry of Wandering and Belonging
That quiet adjustment when familiar gates close behind you.
like untying a boat from its mooring, where the very act of loosening the rope thrums with memory and possibility. The road ahead unfurls like a blank scroll, equal parts terrifying and free.
This poem was written by Bai Juyi (772–846 AD), one of China’s greatest Tang Dynasty poets, known for his deep humanistic compassion. About fifty years old, due to career setbacks and the passing of his mother, he was reassigned from the capital Chang’an to serve as a governor in JIANGZHOU. This poem captures his thoughts as he embarked on this journey. After enduring many hardships, his outlook on life shifted from sharp criticism to quiet acceptance—perhaps a quiet acceptance of life’s flow. A comparison of his earlier and later poems reveals this change in his state of mind.
” No native land have I，
where heart rests, there I stay”.
The world keeps changing, and so much is beyond our control. But finding inner peace is like finding your way home—once your heart is at ease, anywhere can feel like home.
Five Poems of Unfettered Thoughts” – “Chinese Wisdom on Life and Transience
Why Embrace Living When Life Is Brief?
Bai Juyi’s answer is surprisingly simple: A thousand-year-old pine will still wither, while a morning glory blooms brightly for just one day. ” Because time slips by so fast, we savor the to the little things: a cup of coffee, a quiet sunset, a laugh between chores. In the words of American poet Ralph Waldo Emerson: “It is not the length of life, but the depth of life.”
This poem was written during Bai Juyi‘s exile in Jiangzhou (815-818 AD). During this period, having endured both political setbacks and the loss of his mother, his poetic style underwent a significant transformation: his earlier works were primarily social satires – sharp in language and filled with righteous indignation. Now tempered by life’s hardships, Bai Juyi’s poetry shifted toward philosophical contemplation. His words grew calmer, but his insight cut deeper.
” Pines decay in a thousand years,
hibiscus blooms in one dawn.”
This low point in his career gave Bai Juyi poetry lasting power. He wasn’t just raging or grieving anymore—he learned to accept life’s ups and downs and make peace with them.
“Autumn Song” – Preserving Independent Thinking in the ALGORITHM AGE
Amid the digital deluge, we need to safeguard the spark of thought more than ever
In a world where algorithms tell us what to like, when to laugh, and what matters most—it’s easy to lose touch with how we really feel. When algorithmically curated videos still dictate our emotions at bedtime, The more we scroll, the more disconnected we feel, we find ourselves drowning in digitally-guided sentiments. That old ability to see the world for ourselves, to feel something real, is quietly fading.
Liu Yuxi (772-842 AD), the renowned “Poet Hero” of China’s Tang Dynasty, offered a rare perspective on autumn centuries ago. In his thirties, after the failed Yongzhen Reform and subsequent exile to Langzhou, challenged the age-old idea that autumn must mean sorrow. While others mourned falling leaves, he saw a crane soaring through clear skies. This poem was no deliberate rebellion, but the quiet strength of someone who kept thinking for himself, even in the face of hardship.
” Poets lament autumn’s barren skies,
I proclaim it outshines spring’s primal glow.”
Amidst the gales of collective emotion, he showed that feelings aren’t handed down—they’re ours to choose.