Four Poems Drinking Alone Under the Moon
Author: Li Bai, Tang Dynasty
This work is included in: Three Hundred Tang Poems
花间一壶酒，独酌无相亲。
Among the flowers, a pot of wine — I drink alone, with no one close.
举杯邀明月，对影成三人。
I raise my cup to invite the bright moon; facing my shadow, we become three.
月既不解饮，影徒随我身。
The moon, after all, knows nothing of drinking; my shadow only follows my body in vain.
暂伴月将影，行乐须及春。
For now, I keep the moon and shadow company; to enjoy life, one must seize the spring.
我歌月徘徊，我舞影零乱。
As I sing, the moon lingers; as I dance, my shadow scatters wildly.
醒时同交欢，醉后各分散。
While sober, we share delight; once drunk, we each go our separate ways.
永结无情游，相期邈云汉。
Let us forever join in a carefree journey, and meet again in the distant Milky Way.
汉语普通话朗读
(Read aloud in Mandarin Chinese)