By Manfield Zhu

　　"Li Po, a Chinese poet who lived in the Tang Dynasty (618-907), born in 701. His patron was the emperor, and he was prominent in the gay 1ife of the court, until the influence of the empress he was dismissed. It is said he was drowned in the act of trying to kiss the moon in the water. His poems have their themes including nature, women, and wine and are still popular in China. He died in 762.”

　　At least three cultural giants we should never forget in China. Approximately, it took every other 1300—year period in China before such a great cultural scholar was born. The first was Confucian, born in 551 BC, and the second was Li Po, born in AD 701. Li Po is worthy of the title of the World-Class Great Poet. Like an old and lean horse, time goes on, and up to now no man can compare favorab1y with his great talent in poetry all over the world.

　　Only dashing tides to the sky cou1d describe Li Po's imposing style, liberal and outspoken manner, or bold and unrestrained character. He was bighearted and magnanimous with the belief that it's great for the sea to contain hundreds and thousands of rivers; and he was selfless as a vertical cliff standing firm and upright 1000-foot high with no consideration of his own interest. And he feared no bigwigs with his bones being hard as iron. It was he that should be Chinese spine forever. As a concubine of the emperor in the Tang Dynasty, the beauty Yang Guifei needed to be a little bit polite to the great eunuch Gao Lishi, however poet Li Po dared tosgroupsthe eunuch help him put off boots. Even right now Li Po's natural and unrestrained manner has still occupied the Chinese peop1e's mind. That is to say, he never yielded himself to bigwigs or 1owered his head to any high officials even if he wou1d run against the court wall. Li Po p1ayed an important role in the Chinese cu1tural history as if he were a bridge to carry on Chinese cultural army marching forward. If there were no poet Li Po in China, we Chinese would feel the Yangtse River flowing voicelessly or the sea moving on with no surprising billows, and that will be unimaginable.

　　The writing mirrors the writer. Li Po's poems reflected himself, helping us understand his own thinking of nature and human being. He was fond of nature, traveling famous mountains and rivers all over China, and eulogizing what he had seen in his trip. Meanwhile his poems are also used as a dagger or a javelin throwing at the sinister with power.

　　“The justice sounds weaker and weaker,

　　The elegant poets feel sadder and sadder.”……

　　“The rise and fall alter fast,

　　The human code was lost.”(Tr. by Manfield Zhu)

　　In fact these lines directly answered what the poet asked at the very beginning of the Ancient Manners (Part 0ne) in which Li Po asked:

　　A1as, for a 1ong, 1ong time

　　No grand poems I write. I' m bored,

　　Who's excited? (Tr. by Manfie1d Zhu)

　　Li Po's many well-known poems are unrivaled; in a sense, no regular model textbooks could be much more superior and mightier than Li Po's poems.

　　Don' t you find the Yellow River flying from the lofty sky?

　　Never turning her head, but rushing fast to the sea side,

　　Don' t you find my hair gray in the ha1l—mirror inside?

　　It was one night before my hair had turned white.

　　Alas, be pleased to enjoy yourself in time in life;

　　Cheer to the moon, fill in your cup with wine.

　　I was born talented, aiming at my goal high

　　Never worry about no more money to buy"'. (Tr. By Manfield Zhu)

　　Through ages, no literary scholars have talked his mind such frankly and such directly as Li Po did.

　　Li Po was a Chinese model who deeply treasured ties of friendship.

　　The deep Peachblossom Lake is not deeper enough.

　　Than my friend Wanglun's friendship to see me off." (Tr. by Manfield Zhu)

　　Li Po's lines quoted from Dedicated to Wanglun is perfect to express human-beings’intimate feeling, friendship, affection or love sense. You will never feel dull but sweet even if you recite them for many times. Another poem Recalling My Brother in Shandong, on September Ninth written by poet Wang Wei (?--761) was considered as a companion to this one.

　　Alone I am in strange land as a lonely stranger.

　　Whenever it's holiday I miss you double harder (Tr. By Manfield Zhu)

　　The two poets, Li Po and Wang Wei expressed the same strong emotion in different words and expression. For more than one thousand of years, no one has surpassed their wonderful description in emotional world as they did. Poet Li and Wang were approximately of the same age. Wang Wei died a year earlier than Li Po. Li Po contacted with more poet-friends such as Du Fu (7l2--770), Gao Shi (702? --765 ), Cen Sen (715--770 ), Chu Guangxi (707? --760 ) and Xue Ju, Yuan Danqiu as we11 as Wei Wan in some cities or well--known scenic spots such as Chang' an, Luoyang, Shuchuan, or Songshan. Li Po and Wei Wan were good friends of great difference in age. They met each other for the first time in 754. It is not difficult to understand that Li Po was easy and amiable to approach with generous and open--minded manner. He was very polite to treat all of his friends, getting even to everyone no matter he was remarkable or not.

　　Li Po was a great unique master who had a good command of the poetic rhetoric of analogy, upsurge and rhapsody. Even the great author who describe a beautiful girl like a flower in metaphor was still unparalleled to Li Po's wonderful writing technique. Of course, there were more careful writings in personification or in delicate metaphor and simile in the West poetic circles, for example, Russian poet Alexander Pushkin wrote:

　　"The rising-up sneezes topped for a rest,

　　Lying her back on 1eaves to sleep silent ..." (Recollections of My High School) (Tr. by Manfield Zhu) .

　　If we describe Pushkin's way was like a "pretty girl of humble family", but the Li Po's was more like a well-bred beauty, and even what I say in this way may not be okay enough to hit home. Li Po was extraordinary in art and his thinking and artistic achievements, which were much more advanced than his age.

　　Li Po was much more concerned about the fate of the nation, and he often roved all over China. However, he still thought of his own hometown. His popular poem known by most Chinese is Thinking Quietly at Night:

　　Over my bed is the bright moonlight,

　　Is the frost painting ground in white?

　　I raise my head to see the moon bright,

　　Lower it to picture my home in mind. (Tr. by Manfield Zhu)

　　What Li Po wrote 1300 years ago is not much different from the present oral Chinese. So we can conclude whatever the common people like must be the more popular and much easier with true feelings; the truer the longer in life.