Li Bai was a Chinese poet, sometimes referred to as Li Bo. He was acclaimed during his time as a genius of the genre who moved poetry forward in leaps and bounds. There are around 1,000 poems are attributed to him. They’ve been collected in some of the most important publications of world poetry.
‘Before The Cask of Wine’ is a beautiful lyric that emphasizes enjoying one’s youthful hours to the fullest. As one can’t savor those moments in old age.
The spring wind comes from the east and quickly passes,
Leaving faint ripples in the wine of the golden bowl.
The flowers fall, flake after flake, myriads together.
Li Bai’s ‘Taking Leave of a Friend’ uses different literary techniques to convey the themes of transience, nature, longing, and friendship.
Blue mountains lie beyond the north wall;
Round the city's eastern side flows the white water.
Here we part, friend, once forever.
You go ten thousand miles, drifting away
In ‘Three with the Moon and his Shadow,’ Li Bai contemplates solitude, friendship, and the transcendent power of revelry, invoking the beauty of the moon and the playful dance of the shadow. The poem celebrates the unity found in shared experiences and yearns for connections that surpass mortal boundaries.
With a jar of wine I sit by the flowering trees.
I drink alone, and where are my friends?
Ah, the moon above looks down on me;
I call and lift my cup to his brightness.
‘The Jewel Stairs’ Grievance’ (translated by Ezra Pound) by Li Bai captures the lovelorn yearning of a woman waiting for her lover late at night in a picturesque scene of melancholic beauty.
The jewelled steps are already quite white with dew,
It is so late that the dew soaks my gauze stockings,
And I let down the crystal curtain
And watch the moon through the clear autumn.
The famous Chinese poet, Li Bai, also known as Li Po, wrote this beautiful poem, ‘A Poem of Changgan’. It is a coming-of-age poem that deals with the development of a girl into early womanhood.
support@poemanalysis.com
Poem Solutions Limited, International House, 36-38 Cornhill, London, EC3V 3NG, United Kingdom
