The Story of China's Greatest Poet - Li Bai 李白

[LaoTze]

The Story of China's Greatest Poet - Li Bai 李白​

you do recall what my wonderful tutoress in Taiwan taught me of Libai.



Posted October 31, 2015 (edited)
Above was only just one of the catalysts. Being a worshipper of Procrastanatia, I required more than just one catalyst in addition to my desire to get back into Chinese.

In my sojourns in Amsterdam in between the 66-72 hours work week, I picked up books by Guy Gavriel Kay, namely Under Heaven and River of Stars.

• Under Heaven (April 27, 2010), based on the 8th century Tang Dynasty and the events leading up to the An Shi Rebellion
• River of Stars (April 2, 2013), set in the same timeline as Under Heaven, based on the 12th century Song Dynasty and the events around the Jin-Song Wars and the transition from Northern Song to Southern Song

He made much use of Li Bai, one of those immortal poet of that time. Guy obviously could not read Chinese and used translations by others of that period. Good as his books were, I knew those must be watered down through translations and versions of translations and then finally through Guy's fantasy telling.

I had known of Li Bai via my wonderful tutors when I was in Taipei and had from them a flavour Guy could never have gotten or even known about.

One of them got me to like this from Li Bai very much
Japan & ME //Chuáng qián míng yuè guāng // Li Bai the GGLB

extract from above

Li Bai had another poem which is my personal favourite. With my own translation and intepretation which I hope will not make his bones roll over wherever they lay.

靜夜思 Jìng yè sī


床前明月光， Chuáng qián míng yuè guāng,
疑是地上霜。 Yí shì dì shàng shuāng.
舉頭望明月， Jǔ tóu wàng míng yuè,
低頭思故鄉。 Dī tóu sī gùxiāng.


Reflections on a quiet night.

In front of the bed the full moon shone bright,
scattering on the floor like autumn hoarfrost with her light.
Lifting my head I gazed at the full moon,
Lowering my head, nostalgic thoughts flowed of family and times of my ancestral village.

Since that was written for birdie friends and with little boys and girls, I refrained from adding what was told to me by another different tutor.

She told me Li Bai loved fornicating as much as he loved wine and sword fighting. Li Bai would fuck about anything and everything, and his poems had double meanings such as the one above.

He was on a bed with this beautiful lady and in the moonlight, her body was fair and white like autumn frost on the ground.
He raised his head and eyes on her breasts, full and round like the moon.
He lowered his head and eyes on her yoni , the ancestral place where man came from.

I love this poem even more with the revelations from my wonderful tutor ( a bit more matured than the earlier one)

Then we got distracted and lessons went to other directions.