Li Po has been called the god of poetry, but he called himself the god of wine. Born in 701, more than one thousand years ago, during the great cultural flowering of China’s T’ang Dynasty, he wandered across nature’s landscapes and found the spirit of the immortal in his poetry. With more than a thousand poems, the story of his life unfolds. He watches as the T’ang Dynasty declines into ruin. He opposes the emperor and travels in forced exile. In 762, legend tells us that Li Po wandered into the Yangtze River trying to embrace the moon, when he falls in and drowns.
Perhaps this is his farewell poem “drinking alone in the moonlight.” In that human condition of loneliness, he looks for comfort in wine, friendship with the moon, and the company of his reflection in the cup. He dances with his shadow… something we all must do… we hope for an ending that is less tragic than Li Po. As I sink into that space where we all must feel alone, I wonder where else to find comfort as we all struggle to survive “drinking alone in the moonlight.”
Drinking Alone In The Moonlight
~ by Li Po
Amongst the flowers I
am alone with my pot of wine
drinking by myself; then lifting
my cup I asked the moon
to drink with me, its reflection
and mine in the wine cup, just
the three of us; then I sigh
for the moon cannot drink,
and my shadow goes emptily along
with me never saying a word;
with no other friends here, I can
but use these two for company;
in the time of happiness, I
too must be happy with all
around me; I sit and sing
and it is as if the moon
accompanies me; then if I
dance, it is my shadow that
dances along with me; while
still not drunk, I am glad
to make the moon and my shadow
into friends, but then when
I have drunk too much, we
all part; yet these are
friends I can always count on
these who have no emotion
whatsoever; I hope that one day
we three will meet again,
deep in the Milky Way.
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