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 ???? ?? ?????,  ?????; ?????,  ?????? ?????,  ?????; ?????,  ?????? ?????, ?????; ?????, ?????? ?????, ??????

Medieval Chinese ngwat3a gh�2 duk1b tsyak3 l�3d beik2a hwa2 kan2b et3by ghuo1 ts�u3b duk1b tsyak3 muo3c sang3 tshen3b k�o3b pei1a au3y meing3a ngwat3a tw�i1a �ing3a dzyeing3b sam1b nyen3b ngwat3a k�3a pet3a gh�i2a �m3x �ing3a duo1 zwi3b ng�1 syen3b dz�m1b b�n1 ngwat3a tsang3 �ing3a gheing2a lak1 suo3c gep3x tshywen3b ng�1 ke1 ngwat3a bei1a ghwei1a ng�1 m�o3c �ing3a leing4 lw�n1 s�ing4 dzyi3d dung1b kau2 hwan1 tsw�3c gh�u1 kak1 pen3a s�n1 w�ing3a kat4 muo3c dzeing3b you3b sang3 gi3d mok2 wen3a 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.