The poem is entitled "Departure" and is by Wang Wei (699-759). The translation is by Robert Payne. In addition to being a poet, Wang Wei was said to have been an exemplary painter. Like many Chinese poets of the period, he seems to have led an unsettled life. For some years he was held captive in a monastery in Loyang where he apparently led a rather good life, held in esteem because of his poetry.

I have just seen you go down the mountain.

I close the wicker gate in the setting sun.

The grass will be greener again in the coming spring,

But will the wanderer ever return?

As with many traditional poems, there is a strong sense of melancholy inherent here.