From David Hinton’s translation of Li Po – The Selected Poems of Li Po
Drinking alone beneath the moon
Among the blossoms, a single jar of wine.
No one else here, I ladle it out myself.Raising my cup, I toast the bright moon,
and facing my shadow makes friends three,though moon has never understood wine,
and shadow only trails along behind me.Kindred a moment with moon and shadow,
I’ve found a joy that must infuse spring:I sing, and moon rocks back and forth;
I dance, and shadow tumbles into pieces.Sober, we’re together and happy. Drunk,
we scatter away into our own directions:intimates forever, we’ll wander carefree
and meet again in Star River distances
Extracts 