Thinking of Li Bai at the Edge of the Sky
A cool wind rises at the edge of the sky;
My friend, how are your thoughts?
When will the wild geese bring a message?
Autumn waters fill the rivers and lakes.
Literary talent seems at odds with a fortunate life;
Malign spirits delight when people stumble.
You might speak with an unjustly treated spirit,
And cast a poem into the Miluo for him.
Notes
The gentleman is Li Bai; wild geese conventionally suggest letters. The line about literary talent and fortunate fate admits more than one reading. Malign spirits can suggest dangers or hostile forces. The wronged spirit is generally understood as Qu Yuan, associated with the Miluo River.
Meaning
In cool wind, Du Fu thinks of Li Bai far away, worries about news and travel, and invokes Qu Yuan to express concern for his friend.
Appreciation
The cool wind leads directly to concern for an absent friend.
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Geese and autumn waters give distance, correspondence and travel concrete images.
Talent and fate, spirits and human missteps create contrasts around the friend’s uncertain circumstances.
Qu Yuan and the Miluo connect the present concern with an older story of injustice.
About the poet
Du Fu (712–770), courtesy name Zimei, was a major Tang poet.
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His poetry records personal experience and the upheaval of his age, including the An Lushan rebellion.
He lived in Kuizhou in later years; his works include Spring View and Ascending the Heights.