Li Bai: Pouring Myself Drinks Alone By Moonlight (From Chinese)

Pouring Myself Drinks Alone By Moonlight
By Li Bai
Translated by A.Z. Foreman
Click to hear me recite the original in a reconstruction of what 8th century Chang'anese pronunciation
Click to hear me recite it in Modern Mandarin pronunciation
Click to hear me recite the English

Amid the flowers � a flask of wine
I pour alone � no company
I raise my cup to invite the moon
Then moon, my shadow and I are three
But no the moon knows not how to drink
And my shadow does naught but follow me
Yet I quickly make friends of moon and shadow
Enjoy what spring there may yet be
I sing � the moon just maunders on
I dance �my shadow flails away
Still lucid � we share in common pleasure
Blind drunk � each goes his separate way
Let us join to roam beyond all cares
And meet afar in the Milky Way

The Original:
(Medieval Chinese transcribed using David Branner's lovely system)

Han Characters

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Medieval Chinese

ngwat_3a gh�₂ duk_1b tsyak₃
l�_3d beik_2a

hwa₂ kan_2b et_3by ghuo₁ ts�u_3b
duk_1b tsyak₃ muo_3c sang₃ tshen_3b
k�o_3b pei_1a au_3y meing_3a ngwat_3a
tw�i_1a �ing_3a dzyeing_3b sam_1b nyen_3b
ngwat_3a k�_3a pet_3a gh�i_2a �m_3x
�ing_3a duo₁ zwi_3b ng�₁ syen_3b
dz�m_1b b�n₁ ngwat_3a tsang₃ �ing_3a
gheing_2a lak₁ suo_3c gep_3x tshywen_3b
ng�₁ ke₁ ngwat_3a bei_1a ghwei_1a
ng�₁ m�o_3c �ing_3a leing₄ lw�n₁
s�ing₄ dzyi_3d dung_1b kau₂ hwan₁
tsw�_3c gh�u₁ kak₁ pen_3a s�n₁
w�ing_3a kat₄ muo_3c dzeing_3b you_3b
sang₃ gi_3d mok₂ wen_3a h�n₁

Modern Chinese

Yu� xi� d� zhu�
Li B�i

Hua jian yi h� jiu,
d� zhu� w� xiangqin;
Ju bei yao m�ngyu�,
du� ying ch�ng san r�n.
Yu� j� b� jie yin,
ying t� su� wo shen;
Z�n b�n yu� jiang ying,
x�ngl� xu j� chun.
Wo ge yu� p�ihu�i,
W� wu ying l�nglu�n;
Xing sh� t�ng jiao huan,
Zu� h�u g� fens�n.
Yong ji� w�q�ng y�u,
Xiangqi miao y�nh�n.

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