Invitation to Wine
English translation and interpretation are being reviewed.
奔流到海不复回。
君不见高堂明镜悲白发，
朝如青丝暮成雪。
人生得意须尽欢，
莫使金樽空对月。
天生我材必有用，
千金散尽还复来。
烹羊宰牛且为乐，
会须一饮三百杯。
岑夫子，
丹丘生，
将进酒，
杯莫停。
与君歌一曲，
请君为我倾耳听。
钟鼓馔玉不足贵，
但愿长醉不愿醒。
古来圣贤皆寂寞，
惟有饮者留其名。
陈王昔时宴平乐，
斗酒十千恣欢谑。
主人何为言少钱，
径须沽取对君酌。
五花马、千金裘，
呼儿将出换美酒，
与尔同销万古愁。
English translation
Do you not see — the waters of the Yellow River come down from heaven, racing to the sea, never to return?
Do you not see — in the bright mirror of the high hall one grieves over white hair: at dawn black silk, at evening turned to snow?
In life, when the heart is glad, one must take full delight; never let the golden cup stand empty before the moon.
Since heaven gave me these gifts, they must be of use; a thousand pieces of gold scattered will come again.
Boil the sheep, butcher the ox, and be merry — one must drink three hundred cups in a sitting.
Master Cen, and Danqiu: bring in the wine, do not stay the cup.
I will sing you a song; I beg you, lend me your ear and listen.
Bells and drums, fine fare and jade — nothing worth prizing; I only wish to stay forever drunk and never sober.
The sages and worthies of old are all forgotten; only the drinkers have left their names behind.
The Prince of Chen in times past feasted at Pingle; a pint of wine at ten thousand cash, and they revelled as they pleased.
Why does the host speak of having little money? Just go and buy, and pour it out for you.
The five-flower horse, the thousand-gold fur — call the boy to bring them out and trade them for good wine, and with you dissolve the sorrow of ten thousand ages.
Meaning
Do you not see — the surging waters of the Yellow River come pouring down from heaven, rolling and rushing straight into the sea, never to return?
Do you not see — in the high hall, before the bright mirror, one mourns in deep despair that head of white hair: in the morning still like black silk, by evening turned to snow?
In the hours when life goes well, one must take pleasure to the full; never let the golden cup stand empty before the bright moon.
Heaven gave me talents, and they must find their use; a thousand pieces of gold scattered will come back again.
Roast the lamb, butcher the ox — if we make merry, let us make merry indeed; when we drink, we should drink several hundred cups together.
Master Cen, and Yuan Danqiu — drink quickly, do not stop.
I will sing you a song; I beg you, lend me your ears and listen.
Bells and tripods, splendor and riches count for nothing precious; I wish only to stay forever drunk and never sober.
The sages of old
Background
Read the background
Opinions differ as to when this poem was written. Yu Xianhao's Collected Works of Li Bai places it around 736 (the twenty-fourth year of the Kaiyuan era). Huang Xigui's Catalogue of the Chronologically Arranged Poems of Li Taibai dates it to 752 (the eleventh year of Tianbao). The general view is that it was written after Li Bai left the capital during the Tianbao era, when he was wandering through Liang and Song and met his friends Cen Xun and Yuan Danqiu.