English Rendering
With wine I sit until night veils the sky,
Till fallen blossoms pile on my robe high.
Drunk, I rise to stroll in moonlit streams;
Birds homeward fly and few men are seen.
Consoling Myself
- Poetry of Li Bai (Li Po)
《自谴》
Original Text (中文原文)
对酒不觉暝，落花盈我衣。
醉起步溪月，鸟还人亦稀。
Analysis & Context
This poem was composed after a solitary night drinking session, expressing the poet's serene intoxication amidst nature's tranquility. Through nocturnal imagery, it captures the comfort of mild inebriation tinged with subtle melancholy.
Reader's Companion
The Essence of the Verse
Classical Chinese poetry thrives on Concision and Ambiguity. Without tense or number, the words create a timeless space where the reader becomes the co-creator of the poem's meaning.
Reading Between the Lines
Look for Contrasts: light and shadow, movement and stillness. Don't just translate the words; feel the Yijing (artistic conception) that lingers long after the last character.
- The Song of a Southern Maid V
- Observing the Moon
- Su Wu
- Ancient Air: A Northern Belle
- Awaiting the Wine That Doesn’t Come
- Consoling Myself
- The Summit Temple
- <Prelude to Water Melody> Sent to Ziyou on Mid-autumn Festival
- Invitation to Wine
- Question and Answer in the Mountains
- Cold sheet
- Coming Home ( Returning Home )
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