I adore translations for the way in which they are transformed into something I can grasp, even while retaining the mystery of a culture I am unfamiliar with. Translations tend to expose a sense of belonging and a sense of loneliness all at once, much like Li Po's poem, "Drinking Alone in the Moonlight."
Li Po, also called Li Bai (701-762), was one of the prevailing poets of Chinese literary history, and was fondly thought of in his time. A contemporary poet named Tu Fu, who only met the poet on two occasions, wrote over a dozen poems in Li Po's honor, and referred to him as part of a group of Chinese scholars he called the "Eight Immortals of the Wine Cup." Yet another colleague, the poet He Zhizhang called Li Bai "the god dismissed from the Heaven", and the nickname stuck. Shxin, as Li Po was known, literally translates into "god of poetry".
Li Po was as much known for his love for liquor as he was for his eloquent weaving of Taoism into his poetry. He crafted words with such grace and eloquence as to gain him favor among aristocrats and common folk alike. Even the Emperor Xuanzong was taken with Li Po, and invited him to the palace, subsequently giving him a post at the Hanlin Academy. There is a tale that when the Emperor summoned Li Po to the palace, he was drunk, yet masterfully improvised compelling love poems for the emperor and his favorite concubine.
Li Po's frivolous approach to life and drinking and his love for nature reflected in his writing. His many works are interwoven with a carefree interaction between these things that he enjoyed most. His famous poem "Drinking Alone in the Moonlight" is a perfect example of his affinities and imagination.
The beauty of poetry is in finding yourself amongst the words, thereby creating a connection. Here, Li Po verbalizes his connection to all things: "amongst the flowers I / am alone with my pot of wine / drinking by myself." And in his solitude, he toasts the moon, inviting companionship: "then I sigh / for the moon cannot drink, / and my shadow goes emptily along" Li Po had a gift for making elegant, the simple observations of life. Here, I find reference to the need for others, and the inescapable self.
Additionally, Li Po had an acute love for nature. In one translation of the poem, he extricates whatever happiness he can from that available around him. "in the time of happiness, I / too must be happy with all / around me," and with a drunkard's inhibition, sings with the moon and dances with his shadow. This imparts a gratitude for all things natural; a commonality between man and moon and shadow, as the Created. This is the unbreakable link between all things.
Finally, "Now we are drunk, / each goes his way. / May we long share our eternal friendship, / and meet at last on the Cloudy River of the Sky." Having drunk too much (or exceeded the capacity for living), and in the corporeal, part ways, their bond cannot be broken. There is an eternity, a never-ending connection between the need and the fulfillment of something beyond ourselves. One translation, rather than "Cloudy River of the Sky," reads "I hope that one day / we three will meet again, / deep in the Milky Way." Either version implies the heavenly afterlife, and the hope of meeting up with old and true friends. It is a confirmation that even into the hereafter, we are never truly alone because we are a part of all Creation, and thus forever connected.