Parting Sorrows
Zheng Zhenduo

Farewell, China, my beloved homeland! Leaning over the high railing,I watched the ship tearing itself away slowly from the shore, leaving awidening expanse of water in between. Many relatives and friends of mine werewaving their hats and white handkerchiefs amidst shouts of “Adieu, adieu!”firecrackers were crackling and apluttering, and sailors shouting goodbye totheir buddies on the shore. I was seized with violent emotion, tears welling upin my eyes and blurring my eyeglasses.

While the ship was steering ahead slowly, I saw on the way manywarships in gray or white lying at anchor and fly flags other than our nationalones. They were flying the red sun, the tricolour, the union jack or the starsand stripes.

The banks with their yellowish soil and green grass receded into twogreenish strips until they became some mere islets on the horizon. The watersof the sea glistened under the setting sun and kept leaping like rompingurchins. The water surface was a vast expanse of gold.

Farwell, China, my beloved homeland!

I cannot find it in my heart to leave China, much less during thesestormy times when I have to abandon my bounden duty and leave behind so manydear brave fighters—men who are building a new China with their own blood andstruggling and battling in all earnest. To quit China at this moment means tododge my responsibility, and that makes me feel very guilty indeed!

Nevertheless, I shall eventually answer the call of the times anddevote myself heart and soul to my motherland. I am parting from China acquiremore experience and search for better ways of struggle. Dear brave fighters ofevery field, I shall be separated from you only for the present and will soonreturn to join your ranks with redoubled strength.

On my return, I hope, I shall see no more gray or white warshipsplying our territorial waters with flags of the red sun, the tricolour, theunion jack or the stars and stripes. I hope I shall see instead our lovelygreat fleet flying our national colours.

Dear brave fighters, if the foreign warships by that time still hangon their presence in our territorial waters, I will join you to do my bit ingetting rid of them.

That is my pledge!

Farewell, China, my beloved homeland!