As I read the Tang poetries, the poem “Bring in the Wine” by Li Bo reminds me of the song “Cigarettes and Alcohol” by British rock band Oasis, which released on 1994.
The song and the poem shares the same idea that drinking ( and smoking) makes them feel good and that they need it to escape from the banality life.
Both lyrics talk about how they feel about the reality of their lives:
“Bright in the mirrors of mighty halls a grieving for white hair, this morning blue-black stand of silk, now turned to snow with evening.” (“Bring in the Wine”)
“Is it worth the aggravation when there’s nothing worth working for?” (“Cigarettes and Alcohol”)
and they claims that is why they need to drink and have fun, as a remedy.
Also, both talks about future, which basically saying that they are not just drinking but when the time comes, they would make things work out. Li Bo mentions that the Heaven gave him the talents and he would wait and see till someday, when people need it from him. And the song says that “When it comes to top, you gotta make it happen”.
However, there is a difference between those two, which is, while Li Bo sees things in a positive way. He says he need to drink because people have to enjoy the life while they can. On the other hand, despite the encouraging music, Oasis’s lyrics tells us that, as a part of working class, the only thing they got in their lives is drinking. It is understandable because even though they talks about drinking and having fun in their life, their lives are different. Li Bo was established, he was working in a government and was one of the most important poet in the dynasty, while the members of the band born as working class in England and they said that you can’t get away from their life unless you become football player or rock musician.
