Also known as Li Po, Li Bo, Li Pai, the great Chinese poet Li Bai (Chinese: ๆ็ฝ) was a wandering poet during the mid Tang Dynasty. His poems famously celebrate the various pleasures of life. Many of his works were translated by Ezra Pound, in their collected works titled, Cathay.
Waking From Drunkenness on a Spring Day is one of Li Bai’s most famous poems. This is the Arthur Waley translation:
Waking From Drunkenness on a Spring Day (ๆฅๆฅ้่ตท่จๅฟ)
่ไธ่ฅๅคงๅคข, Life in the world is but a big dream;
่ก็ฒๅๅ
ถ็. I will not spoil it by any labour or care.
ๆไปฅ็ตๆฅ้, so saying, I was drunk all the day,
้ น็ถ่ฅๅๆฅน. lying helpless at the porch in front of my door.
่ฆบไพ็ผๅบญๅ, when I awoke, I blinked at the garden-lawn;
ไธ้ณฅ่ฑ้้ณด. a lonely bird was singing amid the flowers.
ๅๅๆญคไฝๆ, I asked myself, had the day been wet or fine?
ๆฅ้ขจ่ชๆต้ถฏ. the Spring wind was telling the mango-bird.
ๆไนๆฌฒๅๆฏ, moved by its song I soon began to sigh,
ๅฐ้
้่ชๅพ. and, as wine was there, I filled my own cup.
ๆตฉๆญๅพ
ๆๆ, wildly singing I waited for the moon to rise;
ๆฒ็กๅทฒๅฟๆ
. when my song was over, all my senses had gone.
