Traveling as a Guest
Li Bai (Tang Dynasty)
Lanling's fine wine is filled with tulips, and the jade bowl contains amber light.
But the host can make the guests drunk, and they don’t know where they are in a foreign country.
Notes:
Kezhong: refers to living in a foreign country.
Lanling: place name. But make: as long as.
Tulip: exudes the aroma of tulips. Turmeric, a kind of herb, is soaked in wine and turns golden yellow after soaking in wine. Jade bowl: Jade tableware, also generally refers to exquisite bowls.
Amber (hǔpò): a kind of resin fossil, yellow or russet, with crystal clear color. The wine here is described as having the color of amber.
Drunken Guest: Make guests drunk. Drunk: usage.
Translation:
The fine wine produced in Lanling is soaked in tulip, with a rich and unique fragrance, and is amber-like when held in a jade bowl.
As long as the master drinks with me and gets drunk, he doesn’t care whether this is his hometown or a foreign land.
Appreciation:
This poem was written before entering Beijing during the Kaiyuan period, when the poet was in Lanling, Donglu (now Zaozhuang, Shandong).
"Lanling's fine wine is full of tulips, and the jade bowl contains amber light." The first sentence points out the place of origin, praising the mellow texture, fragrant smell of the wine, and overflowing with the fragrance of tulips. It is the first sentence to praise Lanling in terms of color. The fine wine is served in a crystal clear jade bowl, as crystal clear as amber. The poet reflects the unique beauty of Lanling wine from the sense of smell and vision respectively.
"But the host can make the guests drunk, and they don't know where they are." The poet loves wine, but he values ????love more. The host is hospitable, and with such good wine, "I" will definitely get drunk before I stop. Don't worry about being in a foreign land. The implication is that with fine wine and hospitable hosts, coming here is already a great pleasure in the world. The last sentence corresponds to the title of the poem. Uncharacteristically, there is no trace of the sorrow of traveling abroad. Instead, it is the deep friendship with the host and the fragrance of fine wine. A foreign country is now my hometown.
On the one hand, this poem reflects the characteristics of the Tang Dynasty, on the other hand, it also reflects Li Baibai's unrestrained, bold and uninhibited personality and the bold and elegant characteristics of poetry.
Reference website: Ancient Poetry Network.