Tang Poetry – Li Bo

Li Bo / Li Po / Li Bai

 

“Bring in the Wine”

Look there!

The waters of the Yellow River,

coming down from Heaven,

rush in their flow to the sea,

never turn back again

Look there!

Bright in the mirrors of mighty halls

a grieving for white hair,

this morning blue-black strands of silk,

now turned to snow with evening

For satisfaction in this life

taste pleasure to the limit,

And never let a goblet of gold

face the bright moon empty.

Heaven bred in me talents,

and they must be put to use.

I toss away a thousand in gold,

it comes right back to me.

So boil a sheep,

butcher an ox,

make merry for a while,

And when you sit yourself to drink, always

down three hundred cups.

Hey, Master Cen,

Ho, Danqiu,

Bring in the wine!

Keep the cups coming

And I, I’ll sing you a song,

You bend me your ears and listen–

The bells and the drums, the tastiest morsels,

it’s not these that I love–

All I want is to stay dead drunk

and never sober up.

The sages and worthies of ancient days

now lie silent forever,

And only the greatest drinkers

have a fame that lingers on!

Once long ago

the prince of Chen

held a party at Pingle Lodge

A gallon of wine cost ten thousand cash,

all the joy and laughter they pleased.

So you, my host,

How can you tell me you’re short on cash?

Go right out!

 

Translated by Stephen Owen

 

“In the Quiet Night”

The floor before my bed is bright:

Moonlight–like hoarfrost–in my room.

I lift my head and watch the moon.

I drop my head and think of home.

 

translated by Vikram Seth

 

“Question and Answer in the Mountains”

The ask me why I live in the green mountains.

I smile and don’t reply; my heart’s at ease.

Peach blossoms flow downstream, leaving no trace–

And there are other earths and skies than these.

 

Translated by Vikram Seth

 

Resources for Li Bo

  • Columbia U, Asia for Educators: video on Li Bo, “the outsider poet.” (browse the menu on the left for more videos on Li Bo’s poetry.
  • Cultural China, Li Bo author page, includes short bio and link to selection of poems.
  • Columbia U, Asia for Educators: resource page with many links to videos and handouts on Li Bo and other Tang Poets.
  • Chinese Poems, includes link to selection of poems by Li Bo

General Resources Tang Poetry

  • Columbia U, Asia for Educators: resource page with many links to videos, handouts, etc on Tang Dynasty and Poetry
  • Columbia U, links to many videos on Chinese and Japanese culture and history, including an intro to Tang Poetry
  • Columbia U, handout on the Chinese Scholar-Official
  • Cultural China, site with lots of info on all aspects of Chinese culture. Browse the history and literature sections for more on the Tang Dynasty and poets.
  • Encyclopedia Brittanica’s page on China (see sections on history, arts, Tang dynasty, and Tang Poetry).