For Wang the Twelfth Who Drank Alone on a Cold Night
- Poetry of Li Bai (Li Po)

昨夜吴中雪，子猷佳兴发。

万里浮云卷碧山，青天中道流孤月。

孤月沧浪河汉清，北斗错落长庚明。

怀余对酒夜霜白，玉床金井冰峥嵘。

人生飘忽百年内，且须酣畅万古情。

君不能狸膏金距学斗鸡，坐令鼻息吹虹霓。

君不能学哥舒，横行青海夜带刀，西屠石堡取紫袍。

吟诗作赋北窗里，万言不直一杯水。

世人闻此皆掉头，有如东风射马耳。

鱼目亦笑我，谓与明月同。

骅骝拳跼不能食，蹇驴得志鸣春风。

折杨黄华合流俗，晋君听琴枉清角。

巴人谁肯和阳春，楚地由来贱奇璞。

黄金散尽交不成，白首为儒身被轻。

一谈一笑失颜色，苍蝇贝锦喧谤声。

曾参岂是杀人者？谗言三及慈母惊。

与君论心握君手，荣辱于余亦何有？

孔圣犹闻伤凤麟，董龙更是何鸡狗！

一生傲岸苦不谐，恩疏媒劳志多乖。

严陵高揖汉天子，何必长剑拄颐事玉阶。

达亦不足贵，穷亦不足悲。

韩信羞将绛灌比，祢衡耻逐屠沽儿。

君不见李北海，英风豪气今何在！

君不见裴尚书，土坟三尺蒿棘居！

少年早欲五湖去，见此弥将钟鼎疏。

It snowed on southern shore last night;

You drank alone with keen delight.

Clouds float for miles and miles like rolled-up mountains high;

The lonely moon drifts in the midst of the sky.

The same lonely moon swims in Silver River clear;

The evening star is bright when Dipper stars appear.

You think of me drinking on a night white with frost;

The golden well with rails of jade in ice is lost.

Men live like floating clouds within a hundred years,So we should drink our fill like our ancient compeers.

You cannot do as the eunuchs fond of cock fight,Who blow their breath like rainbow bright.

You cannot do as the general with sword in hand,Who won his violet robe by slaughter on the land.

Writing verse or prose,by north window you remain;

Ten thousand words not worth a cup of water plain.

Hearing of this,people would turn their heads away,Just as a horse with ears hurt by east wind would neigh The fish's eye mistaken for a pearl laughs at me,Saying I cannot shine as the moon or as he.

A horse can't gallop when it has nothing to eat;

A donkey brays in spring breeze though crippled in feet.

The common people like to sing the vulgar thing How could the sacred lute please a segular king?