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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

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.
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