Sleeping On Horseback Poem by Bai Juyi

Sleeping On Horseback

Rating: 3.0


We had rode long and were still far from the inn;
My eyes grew dim; for a moment I fell asleep.
Under my right arm the whip still dangled;
In my left hand the reins for an instant slackened.
Suddenly I woke and turned to question my groom:
'We have gone a hundred paces since you fell asleep.'
Body and spirit for a while had exchanged place;
Swift and slow had turned to their contraries.
For these few steps that my horse had carried me
Had taken in my dream countless aeons of time!
True indeed is that saying of Wise Men
'A hundred years are but a moment of sleep.'

COMMENTS OF THE POEM
Susan Williams 16 January 2016

Even if you have not fallen asleep on horseback, you know what this poet is talking about in his usual beautiful and gentle way.

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Bai Juyi

Bai Juyi

Taiyuan, Shanxi
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