Li Bai

Drinking Alone with the Moon

A pot of wine among the flowers.
I drink alone, no friend with me.
I raise my cup to invite the moon.
He and my shadow and I make three.

The moon does not know how to drink;
My shadow mimes my capering;
But I'll make merry with them both -
And soon enough it will be Spring.

I sing - the moon moves to and fro.
I dance - my shadow leaps and sways.
Still sober, we exchange our joys.
Drunk - and we'll go our separate ways.

Let's pledge - beyond human ties - to be friends,
And meet where the Silver River ends.

The book is Three Chinese Poets: Translations of poems by Wang Wei, Li Bai and Du Fu, London: faber and faber, 1992.

The translations in this book are great, at least as English poetry, especially Du Fu's To Wei Ba