Monday, April 09, 2007

Thought for the week (Chinese, in verse)


The rapture of drinking

And wine's dizzy joys

No sober man deserves.


Li Bai (701-762)



Since I'm finally "out" about being in China, I thought I'd share with you this little gem in praise of drink by the classic Tang Dynasty poet, Li Bai (also called Li Po). He was famously fond of the sup, and is reputed to have died by falling in the Yangtze River while trying to grasp the moon's reflection when drunk. That sounds like just a metaphor to me, but you never know. The picture is called "Li Bai Chanting a Poem", ink on paper, by Liang K'ai (13th Century).


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