Li Bai
2:23 PM
Hi, everyone.
I mentioned before the poet Li Bai (Li Po, in older spellings), and while I know most of you immediately ran off and looked up both him and his poetry, I thought I'd add a bit. Li Bai is probably my favorite Chinese poet, certainly favorite in the Tang Dynasty (618-907).
A quick overview of his life:
If that isn't quite as exciting as it should be, here's a page with dozens of translations. And here's a link to several other of his poems and various translations.
Try out a bit of this amazing poet! I plan to be that irritating guy on the bus who keeps asking the hapless guide about such things. Join in...
later, bob
I mentioned before the poet Li Bai (Li Po, in older spellings), and while I know most of you immediately ran off and looked up both him and his poetry, I thought I'd add a bit. Li Bai is probably my favorite Chinese poet, certainly favorite in the Tang Dynasty (618-907).A quick overview of his life:
Li Bai was born in 701, the exact location of his birth is unknown but it is believed to be in Central Asia. Some believe he was born in Suiye which is now Kyrgyzstan. There is a story that his mother had a dream of a falling white star and then fell pregnant with him. This gave rise to a myth that he was a fallen immortal who had come to Earth.
When Li Bai was a young child his family was moved to Sichuan in secret by his father. He remained here until his mid-twenties. His memoirs suggest that he was a gifted swordsman and martial artist. He claimed to have killed several men by the time he was twenty.
Upon reaching his mid-twenties he set sail on Yangzi River and began life as a wanderer. He married the grand-daughter of a former ruler of China, gave away much of his wealth and met famous people. He became a celebrity himself and continued to travel. He joined up with a group of other poets who also enjoyed writing about and drinking wine.
Li Bai was considered a genius and became a friend and adviser to the Emperor. When war broke out and the Emperor was removed a power vacuum was created. Li Bai made an attempt to seize power, he was unsuccessful and sentenced to death. A general who Li Bai had befriended and helped many years earlier intervened on his behalf and he was exiled instead.
He continued his nomadic lifestyle... but traveled much shorter distances. He was to be named the Registrar of the Left Commandant’s office by the new Emperor in 762 but he died before news of this reached him... A romantic story suggests that he died whilst trying to embrace the reflection of the moon in a lake.Well, that tale of his death opens to looking at one of his very famous poems, "Drinking Alone by Moonlight"
花間一壺酒
獨酌無相親
舉杯邀明月
對影成三人
月既不解飲
影徒隨我身
暫伴月將影
行樂須及春
我歌月徘徊
我舞影零亂
醒時同交歡
醉後各分散
永結無情遊
相期邈雲漢
If that isn't quite as exciting as it should be, here's a page with dozens of translations. And here's a link to several other of his poems and various translations.
Try out a bit of this amazing poet! I plan to be that irritating guy on the bus who keeps asking the hapless guide about such things. Join in...
later, bob
I read in "Finding them Gone" that one of Li Bai’s heroes was Hung Yai who was famous for his ability to ride clouds. “It was said he eventually rode them all the way to the Isle of Immortals off the coast of Shantung.” To which Li Bai responded in “As the Sun Sets in the Mountains, Suddenly I have a Longing” “what’s taking my cloud carriage so long” Loved that.