Preface for Feast with Bros in Peach Plum Garden

Preface for Feast with Bros in Peach Plum Garden
By Li Bai
Translated by Laijon Liu

O heaven and earth are the living room of all things; light and time are passengers of hundred generations. And floating life is like a dream, and how much joy we can make? So our ancestors lit their candle to roam at night, held good reason. Not to mention the sunny spring waves at us with her smoky scene, magnificent nature inspires us through her literature. And we meet in this garden of peach blossom, to express such heavenly blessed joyful matter. All you bros are talented, and hold the gift of Poet Hui Lian; only my prose song is no match to Poet Kang Le. The elegant sight scene is not yet all covered, but our boasted speeches are already turned into clear and limpid. Lets set our good feast in the flower bush, pass our dishes and cups under the drunken moon. Without good poems, how shall we express our graceful feelings? If anyone cannot make a poem, then he must drink three penalty cups as the rule of Garden of the Golden Valley.

Note:
This is prose poem genre that dominated Han Dynasty literature style to the end of Tang Dynasty. In Chinese call ‘Fu’, its body reads more like prose essay, but sounds more like prose poem.

Hui Lian and Kang Le were both poets of Nan Dynasty. Li Bai loved these two poets and often mentioned them thru his writing.

Ok, this prose poem tells the tradition and culture of ancient Chinese poets, or most all the writers, they spent their whole life in the state of drunkenness, poets and writers often went out together partying in the forest, countryside, garden, river bank, and mountains to drink, feast and gathering all the inspiration from the beauty of nature, grace of friendship, and intoxicated spiritual lift up of wine, which reminds myself on the weekend in corona park of new york, with a big bottle of beer, a poetry book, a note book, a pen, a soccer ball, and maybe a camera, of course, often my pictures are off-focused, yet, my words are collected of my true feeling with the echo of the weather, the trees, and all the soccer players, and in ancient time, the drink was low degree, like nowadays wine and beer, that is why all these poets could still make perfect rhythm lines. often I find out all the good works are produced after a little drinking, as of writing, as of relationship and intimacy, even rock songs:) no wonder many nowadays writers compare their writing as sex, coz both may get better after some of liquor, but I hope they could endure their strength of their talent, not as long as just 2 minutes passion:)

Chinese:

春夜宴诸从弟桃李园序
[李白]

夫天地者，万物之逆旅也，光阴者，百代之过客也。而浮生若梦，为欢几何？古人秉烛夜游，良有以也，况阳春召我以烟景，大块假我以文章。会桃李之芳园，序天伦之乐事。群季俊秀，皆为惠连。吾人咏歌，独惭康乐。幽赏未已，高谈转清。开琼筵以坐花，飞羽觞而醉月。不有佳咏，何伸雅怀？如诗不成，罚依金谷酒数。