Dapeng rises with the wind one day and soars into Wan Li.
If the wind weakens, it can still lift away the turbulent current.
When people see my unchanging tone, they scoff at all my big talk.
Fu Xuan can still fear the afterlife, but her husband can't be young.
Precautions:
(1) Up: Up. Li Yong (678-747): Zi Taihe, a native of Jiangdu (now Jiangdu County, Jiangsu Province), was a calligrapher and writer in the Tang Dynasty.
2 false order: if, even if.
3 blow away: arouse. Cangyan: The sea.
4 constant: often. Different tones: words and deeds are not common.
⑤ Yu: Me. Talk big: talk big.
Fu Xuan: Confucius. In the 11th year of Zhenguan reign of Emperor Taizong (637), Confucius was honored as Fu Xuan. See Book of the New Tang Dynasty, Rites and Music. Fu Xuan written by Song Ben was written as Gong Xuan.
⑦ Husband: The general name of ancient men, referring to Li Yong.
Translation:
Dapeng, aiming at the sky, will one day spread its wings and get wind, and rely on the wind to reach the height of Wan Li. Even if the wind stops, you should bend down and fly. It is powerful enough to stir up the water in the sea.
Now there are always people who see that I often say something different and vulgar, and after listening to my rhetoric, they all laugh at my affectation. Even Confucius can modestly say that "the afterlife is awesome." A gentleman should not despise young people!
Background story:
This poem was written by Li Bai when he was young. Li Yong was the secretariat of Yuzhou (present-day Chongqing) from the seventh year (7 19) to the ninth year (72 1) of Xuanzong in Tang Dynasty. When Li Bai met Li Yong, he was informal and noisy, which made Li Yong very unhappy. History says that Li Yong is "quite conceited" (Biography of Li Yong in Old Tang Dynasty). Li Yong is conceited and famous, and he has reservations about being young and backward. Li Bai was very dissatisfied with this, so when he left, he wrote this poem in a rather rude manner to show his return.
By portraying and praising the image of Dapeng, this poem expresses Li Bai's lofty aspirations and strong desire to use the world, criticizes Li Yong's attitude of despising youth, and shows Li Bai's spirit of brave pursuit, self-confidence and fearlessness.