About poet- Li Bai, (李白, 701-762) also known as Li Po, was arguably the greatest poet of China's Tang dynasty, and possibly of all its history. His verse is notable for the strong voice and personality it reflects, uncommon in the 8th century. An accomplished martial artist, Taoist and academic genius, Li Bai was also a great lover of wine, becoming a member of the "Six Idlers of the Bamboo Brook", an informal group dedicated to literature and drinking. It was the custom of the time to indulge socially, so the following poem-one of his most famous pieces-explores the unusual problem of drinking alone, for which Li Bai finds an uncommon solution.
Translation-
Among the blossoms waits a jug of wine.
I pour myself a drink, no loved one near.
Raising my cup, I invite the bright moon
and turn to my shadow. We are now three.
But the moon doesn't understand drinking,
and my shadow follows my body like a slave.
For a time moon and shadow will be my companions,
a passing joy that should last through the spring.
I sing and the moon just wavers in the sky;
I dance and my shadow whips around like mad.
While lucid still, we have such fun together!
But stumbling drunk, each staggers off alone.
Bound forever, relentless we roam:
reunited at last on the distant river of stars.
-translated by David Bowles
April 20, 2014
(* I like this translation more)
Original Chinese-
月下獨酌
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。
Another translation-
From a pot of wine among the flowers
I drank alone. There was no one with me --
Till raising my cup, I ask 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 born 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.
Critical Analysis:
"Drinking Alone with The Moon" encompasses several of the characteristics that define Li Po. As a devotee to nature, wine, solitude and humor, Li Po reveals much of himself in this poem. Thus the importance of this poem to understanding his other works and ancient Taoism is apparent.
"From a pot of wine among the flowers
I drank alone. There was no one with me -"
This statement I would take very literally. This poem shows a progression from realistic into the imaginative and from sober state to drunk. The flow of this poem tells more of a story than just setting and looking at the moon while drinking wine. Notice the slight change in tone of the next lines:
"Till raising my cup, I ask the bright moon
To bring me my shadow and make us three."
Now we start to see Li Po's imaginative wit and the involvement of the wine in this scheme. He does not seem to be drunk yet, but he certainly expects to be, in fact drunkenness is his goal. His playful treatment of nature at this point is unmistakable. He asks the moon to give him his shadow? This is an unrealistic request, but as a poet I must appreciate the metaphor and the use of words. This is what makes Li Po one of the most celebrated poets of Chinese history. Does he expect this of the moon? Of course not, he is insinuating the moon as a companion and partner in this quest for the surreal. For Li Po this would be perfectly natural as all things are mutual in Taoism.
"Alas, the moon was unable to drink
And my shadow tagged me vacantly;"
These lines punctuate the inference I have made in the previous paragraph. He jokingly offers the moon a drink which it cannot take. When the shadow doesn't show Li Po doesn't seem to say it is not existent. Instead, it seems to have "tagged" him, which means that it is attaching itself to him but is unseen. What wonderful wit and communal spirit. The elements of nature are not seen as without spirit in East Asian cultures, especially in ancient culture.
"But still for a while I had these friends"
The three friends here refer to Li Po, the moon, and his shadow. I think by this time Li Po is starting to feel tipsy at the very least. Wine did have a very special place in Li Po's life and writing. He often depended on it to enhance his poetry.
"To cheer me through the end of spring...."
This line brings us back to his solitude. He must have expected that he would remain alone until the end of spring. He expects to remain cheerful as a part of the "three friends." This indicates that he is able to entertain himself in solitude. He lets his imagination go the more inebriated he becomes. This is indicated in the following lines.
I will make note of the "..." after the word spring. It may be that a portion of the poem is missing here and the translator wanted to indicate this. It may simply be they felt the need to indicate something not complete. Li Po wrote other poems by the same title similar to this. My guess is that he was probably developing the same poem, but in the time since his death, it may be difficult to know which meant to be the finished product.
"I sang. The moon encouraged me
I danced. My shadow tumbled after."
I love the picture this presents. We have to imagine a drunk dancing and singing to the moon. The image of his shadow tumbling behind him makes me wonder if he wasn't falling down drunk by now. The word tumble could also simply be a word used as movements in dance.
"As long as I knew, we were born companions.
And then I was drunk, and we lost one another."
This gives a bit of forlorn quality toward the end of this poem. He is admittedly drunk. However the first line is more finished by the second than separate in my estimation. Li Po indicates a oneness with himself, the moon and his shadow. This is interesting and somewhat unique to Chinese or Asian literature. Your shadow is always with you whether you see it or not. The moon is a personal companion. They were "born" to be together is a way of saying it never leaves him even when he no longer sees it. It also indicates that Li Po is living the life he was destined for since birth.
I'm wondering if "I was drunk" is an indication that he has reached a point of being close to passing out drunk. He indicates the loss of the moon and shadow because of over drinking. Of course, drunk seems to me where he was aiming, but as anyone who has ever been in the state knows the drunker you become the more brooding you can get. These lines also lead into the last two which are the aim of drinking so much and reaching his state of becoming philosophical.
Li Po as with many poets of the time was a philosopher. He felt that wine aided in reaching this state of understanding and becoming one with what was around him.
"....Shall goodwill ever be secure?
I watch the long road of the River of Stars."
The translator of these lines indicates that there is something prior to the word 'Shall'. This is also a question. We don't know what may or may not have been in that space but the question would seem out of place in this poem if we did not know that something was leading to it. His query is now directed at the heavens and heavenly bodies of the moon and stars as indicated by the next line. Li Po is reaching that state which allows him to simply observe and try to answer the important questions in life. Or, is he questioning if he will reach that oneness.
Goodwill is something we often consider a human characteristic. Li Po had been treated unfairly by others. I don't see him as really feeling sorry for himself but possibly questioning the character of people. He may also be asking for the goodwill of the natural elements to help him find that unity with all that is around him.
"I watch the long road of the River of Stars"
Finally the last lines indicate that he is getting there. He is visualizing a path 'river' through the stars. Could the heavens have shown him the way, this would explain the seeming dual meaning of 'long road' and 'River of Stars.' this line is essential to his Taoist philosophy. Man is to harmonize and be one with nature not fight it. Question it but not act. The ideal is to be an observer. The "River of Stars" is a way of placing himself within the scheme of the heavens.
Studying the works of great Chinese Poets as Li Po helps us to understand more of that history. What may seem a light and not so fluent poem now becomes fluent. We have an understanding of the progression of his quest. I would imagine that this poem would be the beginning of a night of writing more philosophical pieces. For whatever reason, this poem is considered an important work of Li Po. "Drinking Alone with the Moon" now has much more meaning.
Source: The Internet
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*Note: The painting in the next chapter is inspired by this poem.