Li Po (李白), also Romanized as Li Bai, Li Bo, and Li Pai, was a Chinese poet of the Tang Dynasty likely born in 701.

 

把酒问月

青天有月来几时?

我今停杯一问之。

人攀明月不可得,

月行却与人相随。

皎如飞镜临丹阙[1],

绿烟[2]灭尽清辉发。

但见宵从海上来,

宁知晓向云间没[3]?

白兔捣药秋复春,

嫦娥孤栖与谁邻?

今人不见古时月,

今月曾经照古人。

古人今人若流水,

共看明月皆如此。

唯愿当歌对酒时,

月光长照金樽[4]里。

这是一首咏月抒怀诗。酒酣之际,诗人抬头看到亘古不变的月亮,对宇宙的冥冥发出了饱含哲理的疑问,这一对宇宙本源的求索与困惑,实际上是对自身的生命价值的思索和探寻。古往今来,人类从未停止有关月亮的遐想,多少人曾经梦想登上月亮,而月亮始终高不可攀地用万里清辉普照尘世,伴随着无尽的时光。诗人将月亮比作明镜,夜出沧海,昼隐西山,昼夜交替,历史便在这交替中演变,表达了诗人对前进不息的时光的留恋和珍惜。在对神物和仙女寂寞命运的同情中,流露出诗人自己孤苦高洁的情怀。“今人不见古时月,今月曾经照古人”是在讲“前不见古人”,而古月依旧,人生有限宇宙无穷,明月万古如一,而人类世代更替,同明月比起来,人类的有限生命真如沧海一粟。古人已流水一般逝去,今人的宿命也将如此,对着同一轮明月,古人今人关于人生和宇宙的意识得到统一。全诗意味深邃,诗人将明月与人生反复对照,在时间和空间的主观感受中,表达了对宇宙和人生哲理的深层思索。

注释:

[1]丹阙:朱红色的宫殿。

[2]绿烟:遮蔽月光的浓重云雾。

[3]没(mò):隐没。

[4]金樽:精美的酒具。

Reflections on the Moon While Drinking

When did the moon first come on high?

I stop drinking to ask the sky.

The moon’s beyond the reach of man;

It follows us where’er it can.

Like mirror bright o’er palace wall,

When clouds disperse,it’s seen by all.

At night,it rises out of the sea;

At dawn,who knows where it can be?

Jade Hare[1]is not companion boon

For lonely Goddess of the Moon.

We see the ancient moon no more,

But it has shone on men of yore.

Like flowing stream,they passed away;

They saw the moon as we do today.

I only wish when I drink wine,

Moonlight dissolve in goblet mine.

注释:

[1]According to Chinese legend,the Jade Hare keeps company with the lonely Goddess of the Moon.