"Drinking Alone under the Moon" was created by and selected. "Drinking Alone under the Moon" is a set of poems written by the great poet Li Bai of the Tang Dynasty. ***Four songs. The first of these is the most famous. This poem describes the desolate scene of the poet drinking alone under the flowers on a moonlit night with no one close to him. The poet uses rich imagination to express a complex emotion from loneliness to not being lonely, and then from not being lonely to being lonely. This poem fully expresses Li Baixian's broad-minded talent and broad-minded mind that has no tolerance between things and myself. With novel conception, wonderful imagination, and profound emotions, it is a masterpiece with unique charm among Li Bai's lyric poems. For more appreciation of Tang poetry, please pay attention to the 300 Tang Poems column of "Xi Gutang Chinese Studies Network".
Original text
"Drinking Alone under the Moon"
Author: Li Bai
Part One [1]
Flowers A pot of wine in the room, drinking alone ⑴ without blind date ⑵.
Raise a glass to invite the bright moon, and look at each other as three people⑶.
The moon does not know how to drink, and its shadow follows me.
For the time being, I will accompany the shadow of the moon, and have fun until spring.
My singing moon lingers⑻, my dancing shadows are messy⑼.
We have sex together when we are awake, but they are separated when they are drunk.
Forever wedded to each other without mercy, we met each other in Yunhan.
Second
If heaven does not love wine, the wine star will not be in the sky.
If the earth does not love wine, there should be no fountain of wine.
Both heaven and earth love wine, and the love of wine is worthy of heaven.
I have heard that the clear way is compared to the sage, and the turbid way is like the wise person.
Since the sages have already drank, why ask for gods.
Three cups lead to the road, and one bucket leads to nature.
But if you get the pleasure from drinking, don’t pass it on to those who are sober.
Third
In Xianyang City in March, thousands of flowers look like brocade during the day.
Who can be sad in spring alone, he must drink for this.
Poor communication and shortcomings are the result of fate.
One bottle combines life and death, and everything is difficult to judge.
After being drunk, I lost my world and suddenly found myself sleeping alone.
I don’t know that I am here, and this is the greatest joy.
Fourth
Thousands of poverty and sorrow, three hundred glasses of fine wine.
Although there is too much sorrow and little wine, the sorrow will not come when the wine pours.
So you know the sage of wine, and your heart will be happy when you are drunk.
Citing millet and lying in Shouyang, I often come back empty and hungry.
In today’s world, people are not happy to drink, so it’s easy to use it in vain.
The crab claws are gold liquid, and the hills are Penglai.
And you must drink fine wine and get drunk on the high platform by the moon.
Notes:
⑴Zhuo: Drinking alcohol. Drinking alone: ??drinking alone.
⑵No blind date: no one close to me
⑶"Toast" two sentences: These two sentences say, I raise my glass to invite the bright moon to drink, and the bright moon and I and My shadow makes exactly three people. It is said that the figure under the moon, the figure in the wine and I are three people. Make three people: The bright moon, me and my shadow make exactly three people.
⑷ Both: and. Bu Jie Drink: Don’t know how to drink
⑸Student: In vain, in vain. Disciple: Empty.
⑹ General: He
⑺ Ji Chun: Take advantage of the bright spring.
⑻The moon wanders: The bright moon moves back and forth with me.
⑼Shadows in chaos: The figures are in chaos due to dancing.
⑽Joy: Have fun together.
⑾Ruthless travel: a travel that forgets the world.
⑿Meeting date: meeting.
⒀Miao: far
⒁Yunhan: Milky Way
Rhyme translation:
Prepare a pot of fine wine and place it among the flowers, Think for yourself, have no relatives, no friends, and be alone. I raised my wine glass to invite the charming Mingyue, lowered my head and caught a glimpse of the figure. There were already three people drinking. Yue'er, how do you know the joy of drinking? Ying'er, you cling to me alone in vain! For the time being, I will accompany the Jade Rabbit, this ruthless thin figure. I should enjoy myself in time and take advantage of the good spring evening. The moon lingers in the sky while listening to my singing, while the shadow dances with me, jumping and rolling on the ground. When we are sober, we can have fun and have fun, but when we are drunk, we will inevitably be separated. Moon, I would like to become a loveless friend with you forever, and meet on the far bank of the Milky Way. Goodbye!
Commentary:
"Drinking Alone under the Moon" is one of Li Bai's most romantic poems. The poem describes the poet drinking alone under the moon. Drinking alone under the moon is lonely, but the poet used his rich imagination to combine the shadow in the cup, the shadow under the moon and his own figure into the so-called "three people". From the word "flower" to the word "spring", from "drinking" to "song" and "dance", the lonely environment is rendered very lively. Not only is the pen and ink vivid, but more importantly, it expresses the poet's ability to relieve loneliness. Unrestrained personality and emotions.
The intimate joy between the poet and the bright moon further reflects the poet's loneliness and loneliness in the world. It also expresses the poet's resentment and disgust towards the real society from the side, and also reflects the poet's independence and nobility. Personality.
On the surface, the poet seems to be really enjoying himself, but behind it is full of infinite desolation. The poet is so lonely that he invites the moon and shadows, but it is more than that. Even in the years to come, he will not be able to find anyone to drink with him. Therefore, we can only travel with the moonlight figure forever, and make an appointment to meet again in the fairyland in the sky.
Li Bai’s five-character ancient poems have a wide range of themes and colorful styles. Earlier we introduced two poems, "Saurus Acacia" and "Changgan Xing", which he wrote after learning Yuefu folk songs. The song "Drinking Alone under the Moon" is a full display of Li Bai's elegant and romantic poetic style as well as his personal spiritual world. The whole poem consists of 1 to 14 lines, the first eight lines have flat tone rhyme, and the last six lines have oblique tone rhyme. As far as the genre of five-character ancient poetry is concerned, "Drinking Alone under the Moon" is not very long, but it contains the pursuit and yearning of a lonely and lonely soul. The only character appearing in this poem is Li Bai himself, but through the monologue, he stirs up layers of emotional waves in the depths of the soul. It is both ups and downs and willful and natural. It has always been considered the most important poem of Li Bai. A masterpiece of passion.
Wine and the moon were Li Bai’s most loyal companions who never left him for even a moment in his life. No matter where he went or where he was, he would always leave behind touching works about wine and the bright moon. For example, "Lanling has fine wine and tulips, and jade bowls hold amber light" ("Gu Zhong Zuo"); such as "Let's borrow the moonlight in Dongting on credit, and buy wine on the boat beside the white clouds" ("Pai Clan Uncle Xingbu Shilang Ye and Zhongshu Jia" "Five Poems for a Visit to the Dongting"); such as "When will the moon come in the blue sky? I will stop drinking and ask it now", "I only hope that when I sing and drink, the moonlight will always shine in the golden bottle" ("Ask the Wine to the Moon") ; Such as "If you are proud of life, you must have all the fun, and don't let the golden bottle stand empty against the moon" ("Jinjinjiu"). Through these popular poems, Li Bai created a unique realm that is both romantic and a little sad. The song "Drinking Alone under the Moon" is the one that takes this wine-moon complex to its extreme. For more appreciation of Tang poetry, please pay attention to the 300 Tang Poems column of "Xi Gutang Chinese Studies Network".
At the beginning of the poem, our poet is in a very pleasant environment under the moon among flowers, "a pot of wine among the flowers", a pot of wine among the flowers, drinking happily , get drunk and then rest. But unexpectedly, these flowers and this fine wine made Li Bai feel unhappy. What was the reason? It's because "there is no blind date when drinking alone"! Li Bai has a famous saying that can be used as a footnote to this poem, "When two people drink together, the mountain flowers bloom, one cup after another" ("Drinking with a Hidden Man in the Mountains"). With the company of like-minded "youthful people", we can go to the land of drunkenness together among the flowers and enjoy the endless fun of drinking. But now I have no one to keep me company and I have to drink alone. But he had an idea and created a new realm for himself: "Raise a glass to the bright moon, and look at the shadow to become three people"! From the lonely "no blind date" to the chatting and laughing "three people", Li Bai completed it in one move and one shot. Look at him, when he raises his glass, the bright moon is with him, and when he lowers his head, his figure is with him. . How natural and unrestrained, how comfortable, and so vividly like an "exiled immortal" that is hard to find in the world. How can others imitate him? The moon in the sky is Li Bai's eternal confidant in the spiritual world, and is also a frequent visitor in Li Bai's poems. He once recalled his first understanding of the moon when he was a child: "I didn't know the moon when I was young, and I called it a white jade plate" ("Gu Lang Yue Xing"); when he was away from home, the moonlight evoked his nostalgia as a wanderer: "The moonlight shines brightly in front of the bed, and I doubt it." It's frost on the ground. I look up at the bright moon and look down at my hometown" ("Thoughts on a Quiet Night"); in the autumn moon, he once expressed endless lovesickness: "Looking at the exquisite autumn moon under the crystal curtain" ("Resentment on the Jade Steps"); Under the moonlight, he can become close friends with the ancients: "I have been meditating under the moon for a long time and have not returned, and my eyes have been so close to each other since ancient times" ("Yin under the Moon on the West Tower of Jinling City"). So when we read "Toast a glass to the bright moon, and look at the shadow to form three people", we are not surprised or puzzled at all. Instead, we believe that this is the real Li Bai, the pure and romantic person who lives in his own spiritual world. Li Bai, the "immortal of poetry" who doesn't eat the fireworks of the world! Only he could do such an incredible move, and only he could write such elegant and elegant poems.
The core of this poem:
The core of this poem lies in the word " Du ". Throughout the entire novel, a talented man living in a living human society, on a spring night with beautiful flowers and full moon, can only "drink" with the moon and his own shadow and "become three people", which fully highlights and explains his loneliness. Loneliness and being out of touch with real life. At the same time, it also showed his bohemian and uninhibited character. Other renderings in the poem are also intended to highlight the word "alone", the loneliness of the author's personality and the loneliness in reality. Therefore, "raise a cup to the bright moon, and look at the shadow to form three people." The essence of this immortal famous saying has been passed down for thousands of years. On the surface, it seems that he is always enjoying himself, but in the author's heart, it is full of loneliness and infinite desolation.
In order to highlight his loneliness and desolation, the author inadvertently used a lot of imagination and personification techniques to bring the bright moon in the sky and the shadow under him together with himself, singing and dancing. , drinking wine and making friends on a romantic spring night, far away from the hustle and bustle of the world, just get drunk and then rest! The personification of the moon and shadow precisely personifies other people in reality. In the author's mind at this time, although the moon and shadow are lifeless, they are his purest friends and partners.
However, there is always a moment when the party breaks up after forgetful gatherings and drinking, and the author has to face the helplessness of "having fun together when we are awake, but separated when we are drunk".
But Li Bai, who was determined and had seen through the affairs of the world, finally made a vow to "we will be together forever" when they were about to leave the banquet. This further highlights the core of this article: "independence"! Loneliness and loneliness, not only at this time today, but also in the long years to come, I will not be able to find anyone who can drink with me.
Explanation:
In Buddhism, there is a saying of "establishing a righteousness", and then "breaking it", "breaking" and then "establishing", and "establishing" and then "breaking" , and finally get the ultimate analysis method. In modern terms, it means first explaining some truth, then establishing a new theory after refuting it, then refuting it again and constructing it again, and finally reaching the correct conclusion. Regarding such arguments, there are usually two sides, "breaking" and "building" each other. However, this poem by Li Bai is about only one person, in the form of a monologue, self-reliance and self-destruction, self-destruction and self-reliance. The poetry has ups and downs and is pure and natural, so it has been passed down to future generations.
When the poet comes on stage, the background is a flower room, the prop is a pot of wine, the character is just himself, and the action is drinking alone. With the words "no blind date" added, the scene is very monotonous. So the poet suddenly had a whim, pulled the bright moon in the sky and his own shadow under the moonlight, and turned himself into three people, toasting and drinking, and the deserted scene became lively. This is "standing".
However, even though the poet was so kind and "raised a glass to the bright moon", the bright moon "doesn't know how to drink" after all. As for the shadow? Although as Tao Qian said, "When you meet your son, you will feel no different joy and sorrow. If you rest in the shade for a while, you will never see each other again" ("Shadow Answering the Shape"), but after all, the shadow cannot drink; so what should we do? Let's keep the bright moon and the figure as our companions for the time being, and enjoy yourself in this time of spring when the flowers are blooming ("spring" reverses the word "flower" above)! "Looking at the shadow alone, I suddenly became drunk again." (Tao Qian's preface to the poem about drinking) These four sentences again describe the love between the moon and the shadow as futile and unpredictable, overturning the previous case, which is "breaking".
At that time, the poet had already entered the drunken country, and when he was drunk, he sang and danced. When singing, the moonlight lingers, lingering, as if listening to good news; when dancing, my own figure turns chaotically under the moonlight, as if dancing with myself. They rejoice with each other when they are awake, until they are drunk and lying on the bed, the moonlight and the figure are helplessly separated. "I sing about the wandering moon, and my dancing shadows are scattered. We rejoice together when we are awake, and we are scattered when we are drunk." These four sentences describe the moonlight and figure as if they are passionate about themselves. This is "standing" again.
In the last two sentences, the poet sincerely makes an appointment with the "moon" and "shadow": "We will never travel together without mercy, and we will meet again in Yunhan." However, "moon" and "shadow" are still ruthless things after all. The main reason for tying ruthless things into friendship is one's own sentimentality. The word "merciless" in the sentence "Yongjie Wuqingyou" means breaking, and "yongjie" and "you" stand together. They break and stand together, forming a Final conclusion. For more appreciation of Tang poetry, please pay attention to the 300 Tang Poems column of "Xi Gutang Chinese Studies Network".
The title is "Drinking Alone under the Moon". The poet uses rich imagination to express a complex emotion of being alone but not alone, not being alone and being alone, and then being alone but not alone. On the surface, the poet seems to be really enjoying himself, but behind it there is infinite desolation. The poet once wrote a poem "On a Drunk Day in Spring, I'm Talking About My Will": "Living in this world is like a big dream, why do you have to work hard for your life? So I'm drunk all day long, lying slumped in front of the couplet. When I wake up, I look forward to the court, and a bird sings among the flowers. What's the matter? At that time, the spring breeze was whispering, and I was sighing with emotion, and I was still pouring out my love for the wine. I have forgotten my love for the song.” Look at the words “Yi bird”, “Zi Qin”, and “Waiting for the bright moon”. How lonely it is. Loneliness is not even to the point of inviting the moon and the shadow, and even in the years to come, I will never find someone to drink with, so I can only travel with the moonlight figure forever, and meet again in the distant fairyland. The last two sentences exemplify the poet's sense of coolness as he walks.
Comments:
The title is "Drinking Alone under the Moon". The poet uses rich imagination to show a feeling of being alone but not alone, not being alone and being alone, and then being alone but not alone. Mixed emotions. On the surface, the poet seems to be really enjoying himself, but behind it there is infinite desolation. The poet once wrote a poem "On a Drunk Day in Spring, I'm Talking About My Will": "Living in this world is like a big dream, why do you have to work hard for your life? So I'm drunk all day long, lying slumped in front of the couplet. When I wake up, I look forward to the court, and a bird sings among the flowers. What's the matter? At that time, the spring breeze was whispering, and I was sighing with emotion, and I was still pouring out my love for the wine. I have forgotten my love for the song.” Look at the words “Yi bird”, “Zi Qin”, and “Waiting for the bright moon”. How lonely it is. Loneliness is not even to the point of inviting the moon and the shadow, and even in the years to come, I will never find someone to drink with, so I can only travel with the moonlight figure forever, and meet again in the distant fairyland. The last two sentences exemplify the poet's sense of coolness as he walks. [5] This poem highlights the word "independence". Li Bai was ambitious, talented, and wanted to do something in his career, but he could not get the appreciation and support of the ruler, nor could he find many confidants and friends. Therefore, he is often surrounded by loneliness, feeling depressed and hesitant. From his poems, readers can hear the cry of a lonely soul, which contains protest against the unreasonable society and the desire for freedom and liberation. The unstoppable power is really enough to "storm the storm" "And "weeping ghosts and gods".
Although this poem says "the shadows form three persons", it mainly expresses its affection for the bright moon. Li Bai has been fond of the bright moon since he was a child. "Gu Lang Yue Xing" said: "When I was young, I didn't know the moon, and it was called a white jade plate.
I also suspected that the Yao Tai Mirror was flying in the blue clouds. "In the young Li Bai's mind, the bright moon is already a symbol of brightness. He often uses the bright moon to place his ideals and pursue her eagerly. "Ask the Moon about Wine" begins with: "When will the moon come in the blue sky? Stop drinking now and ask. People cannot reach the bright moon, but the moon travels with people. "In the poem "Farewell to the Secretary Shu Yun at Xietiao Tower in Xuanzhou", it is also said: "We are all filled with joy and excitement, and want to fly, and want to go up to the blue sky to embrace the bright moon. "He wants to climb the bright moon and embrace the bright moon, which shows his yearning for light. It is precisely because he hates the darkness and filth of society and pursues light and purity that he has such deep feelings for the bright moon that even his There is also a legend that he died after being drunk and catching the moon in the water. The bright moon often reminded Li Bai of his hometown when he visited Mount Emei in his youth, and the moon of Mount Emei left a deep impression on him. He wrote a song called "Moon Song of Mount Emei", which said, "Mount Emei is half full of moonlight, and its shadow is reflected in the water of Pingqiang River." A monk from Sichuan wrote a farewell poem when he went to Chang'an. He said that when he saw the bright moon in the Three Gorges, he thought of Emei. The Emei Mountain Moon will definitely send you to Chang'an; in the end, he hoped that the Shu monk would "make the emperor famous and return to the Emei Moon". The bright moon so aroused Li Bai's nostalgia, so in the famous song "Quiet Night". In "Thinking", he said, "Look up at the bright moon and lower your head to miss your hometown." When I see the bright moon, I think of Emei and my hometown of Sichuan. The bright moon is another close friend of Li Bai's "Sleepwalking Tianmu Yin Farewell". Li said: "I want to dream of Wu Yue, and fly across the Jinghu Lake in the moonlight overnight. The moon on the lake shines on my shadow and sends me to Yanxi River. "In another poem titled "Going down Zhongnan Mountain and passing Husi Mountain, people stay and buy wine", he also said: "Evening falls from the blue mountain, and the mountain moon follows people back home." "It's like looking at the moon with the innocence of a child. What's more interesting is that when he heard the news about Zuo Qian Longbiao, he wrote a poem and sent it to Wang Changling. The poem said: "I send my sorrowful heart and the bright moon to follow you. Until Ye Langxi. "In Li Bai's imagination, Mingyue can follow Wang Changling to remote places with his sorrow.
When readers know that Mingyue has so many meanings to Li Bai, it will be easier to understand Why does Li Bai have such a deep friendship for the bright moon in the poem "Drinking Alone under the Moon", "raising a glass to invite the bright moon, making three people in the shadow", "forever wandering together without love, meeting each other in Miao Yunhan", Li Bai has been with him since he was a child. The moon that they become partners with symbolizes brightness and purity, and often makes Li Bai miss his hometown. She is worthy of Li Bai's deep love for her. Li Bai, a great poet who is aloof, arrogant and naive, is also fully worthy of being Mingyue's friend. .
Author introduction
Li Bai (February 28, 701 - 762), also known as Taibai, also known as Qinglian Jushi, was a poet of the Tang Dynasty and was known as the "Poetry Immortal". A great romantic poet, Han nationality, was born in Changlong County, Mianzhou (Brazil County), Jiannan Road (renamed Changming County in 712, now Qinglian Township, Jiangyou City, Mianyang, Sichuan). It is said that he was born in Suiye City (now Suiye City, Western Region). Tokmak, Kyrgyzstan, whose ancestral home is Chengji County, Longxi County (now south of Jingning County, Pingliang City, Gansu Province). His father, Li Ke, raised two sons (Boqin and Tianran) and one daughter (Pingyang). He has more than a thousand poems and masterpieces in existence. There are poems such as "The Road to Shu is Difficult", "The Road to Difficulty is Difficult", "The Sleeping Heavenly Mother Says Goodbye", "The Wine Will Be Entered", etc., and the "Collection of Li Taibai" has been handed down from generation to generation. He died of illness in Dangtu, Anhui in 762, at the age of 61. There are memorial halls in Dangtu, Anhui, Jiangyou, Sichuan, and Anlu, Hubei.
Li Bai (lǐ bái), also known as Qinglian Jushi, was a great romantic poet in the Tang Dynasty of China. Li Bai's poems are majestic and elegant, with high artistic achievements. He eulogizes the mountains and rivers of the motherland and the beautiful natural scenery. He is called "the Immortal of Poetry" by He Zhizhang. He mainly expresses his inner emotions. His poetic style is majestic and bold. ) was born in Changlong County of Mianzhou (Brazil County) in Jiannan Road (renamed Changming County in 712, now Qinglian Township, Jiangyou City, Mianyang City, Sichuan Province). Another theory is that his father was demoted to the Western Regions from the Central Plains. Born in Suiye City (today's Tokmok City, Kyrgyzstan), he moved back to Changlong County, Mianzhou, Jiannan Road (today's Jiangyou City, Sichuan Province) when he was 4 years old. His father Li Ke's life story is unknown.
Li Bai was born in the prosperous Tang Dynasty. He spent most of his life wandering and traveled through most of China.
At the age of twenty, he left Shu alone and began to roam extensively. From Dongting to the Xiangjiang River in the south, to Wu and Yue in the east, he lived in Anlu (now Anlu City, Hubei Province) and Yingshan (now Guangshui City, Hubei Province).
He traveled everywhere, hoping to make friends. , paid homage to celebrities, and was recommended to reach a high position in order to realize his political ideals and ambitions. However, he continued to travel north to Taiyuan and Chang'an (now Xi'an City, Shaanxi Province), and to the east to Qi and Lu. He lived in various places and lived in Rencheng, Shandong Province (now Jining City, Shandong Province).
At this time, he had made friends with many celebrities and composed a large number of excellent poems. Li Bai did not want to take the exam to become an official. He hoped to rely on his own talents and get an official career through the recommendation of others, but he was never appreciated by others.
He once wrote a "Letter to Han Jingzhou" to Han Jingzhou, a famous scholar of the dynasty, to recommend himself, but he did not get a reply. For more appreciation of Tang poetry, please pay attention to the 300 Tang Poems column of "Xi Gutang Chinese Studies Network". ()
Until the first year of Tianbao (742), due to the recommendation of Taoist priest Wu Jun, Li Bai was summoned to Chang'an to worship the Imperial Academy. His writing style was famous throughout the world. Li Bai was initially appreciated by Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty for his talent, but later because he could not be accepted by the powerful, he abandoned his official position after only three years in Beijing, and continued his wandering life.
In the second year of the Anshi Rebellion (756), he was indignant about the difficult times and joined the shogunate of Yongwang Li Lin. Unfortunately, King Yong and Suzong had a struggle for the throne. After the defeat, Li Bai was implicated and exiled to Yelang (in today's Guizhou). On the way, he was pardoned and wrote "Early Departure from Baidi City". In his later years, he wandered around the southeast and sought refuge with Li Yangbing, the magistrate of Dangtu County, his clan uncle. He died of illness soon after. For more appreciation of Tang poetry, please pay attention to the 300 Tang Poems column of "Xi Gutang Chinese Studies Network".
Literaturers of the past dynasties have spoken highly of Li Bai's poetic achievements. Li Bai had a name for his poems during his lifetime. When He Zhizhang saw him, he called him "an immortal". Du Fu commented on his poems that "the pen fell in the storm, and the poems became weeping ghosts and gods" ("Twenty Rhymes to Li Twelve and Bai"), praising his "Bai Ye's poems are incomparable, his thoughts are floating and unparalleled; fresh and handsome, Yu Kaifu" Yi Bao joins the army." Wei Hao said in the "Preface to the Collection of Li Hanlin": "Bai competes with the ancients, with three characters and nine words, and he is uncanny." Many literati have a high opinion of Li Bai. It says: "Li Du's articles are as bright as ever." ("Tiao Zhang Ji"). Emperor Wenzong of the Tang Dynasty named Li Bai's poems, Pei Min's sword dance, and Zhang Xu's cursive script as the "Three Wonders". In the Yuan and Bai Dynasties, Du and Li began to be promoted and suppressed. Said: "Another great poet, the work of Li Du is known to the world. He is so talented that no one can catch him." Du Fu once said of Li Bai: "Li Bai wrote hundreds of poems in one fight. When he went to sleep in a restaurant in Chang'an City, the emperor called I couldn't get on the boat, so I claimed that I was a wine-drinking immortal."
English-Chinese comparison
Drinking alone under the moon
Li Bai
A pot of wine among the flowers, drinking alone without a blind date.
Raise a glass to invite the bright moon, and look at each other as three people.
The moon does not know how to drink, but its shadow follows me.
For now, the moon will be shadowed, and we must have fun until spring.
My singing moon lingers, my dancing shadows are scattered.
We have sex together when we are awake, but they are separated when we are drunk.
We will travel together forever, and we will meet each other in Miao Yunhan.
DRINKING ALONE WITH THE MOON
Li Bai
From a pot of wine among the flowers
I drank alone. There was no one with me --
Till, raising my cup, I asked the bright moon
To bring me my shadow and make us three.
Alas, the moon was unable to drink
And my shadow tagged me vacantly;
But still for a while I had these friends
To cheer me through the end of spring ….
I sang. The moon encouraged me.
I danced. My shadow tumbled after.
As long as I knew, we were boon companions.
And then I was drunk, and we lost one another.
…Shall goodwill ever be secure?
I watch the long road of the River of Stars .