Laijon Liu (06/27/1975 / Dalian, China)

Drink Alone Under Moonlight (Sad Version)
By Li Po
Translated by Laijon Liu 20090803

Among the flower bush
I set a pot of wine
At this midnight hour
I drink alone again

So I raise up my cup
To invite the bright moon
And bow down my head
To greet my shadow friend

But how the moon in sky
Knows about the taste of wine
And my shadow just follows
To wherever he doesn’t understand

Still, the moon and my shadow
Are my temporal friends
And at this short spring season
We must make joy for all us

So I sing out aloud
The moon tangoes and waltz
And I rock and swing
My shadow rolls and disperses

O at this wakening hour
We share our love and pleasure
But after we sunk in drunkenness
We all separate toward each road

How we wish to be together forever
On this mutual voyage
And wait for the date we sh’d meet
In that far vast Milky Way

Note:

I have done translations on this poem before, but never satisfied.
Coz I felt I could not bring out the loneliness and sadness,
But this translation is really closer to Li Po’s mind state.