Li Bai

Poetry is a form of art and literature in which the writer expresses emotions using short lines of rhymes and metaphors. There are many forms of poetry but there is no restriction to what language it is in or how the poet can express themselves.

Chinese poetry is a series of four lines or more in which the writer creates a rhyme of five to seven symbols. Each verse has to have a matching rhyme and advocates a single sentiment.

The Chinese have many famous poets. If you ever attended a Chinese school you would need to remember two poems every week. By the time you graduated, you would need to be able to quote any one of the poems you had learned.

The most famous poets in China are Li Bai and Du Fu. These two poets are so great that they are considered as "poet saints". There is also a saying which is that every time they have wine they are able to rhyme.

In this report I will be talking about Li Bai and his poems.

Li Bai was born in 701 AD in Xi An, the Sue Ye city. He was a very prominent poet in the Tang Dynasty and thousands of his poems are still intact today.

In his childhood Li Bai lived in the Si Chun province. Once he had finished his schooling, he traveled far and wide to see the sights and to meet more people. His main goal of life during that time was gaining a prominent position in court, but instead he found that he had a liking for poetry and soon he became famous for his works. During his travels he met Du Fu who revered Li Bai. The two quickly became intimate friends and they would drink wine and discuss politics.

Soon Li Bai departed to continue his travels and in the end he did gain a position in court but was fired when he insulted the emperor. In the late years of his lived he devoted himself to being a hermit and wrote poetry until his death in 766 AD.

Below I have given an example of his most famous poetry. Due to certain complications in translation the poem might have lost its rhyme and rhythm, thus some effects of the poem might no longer be the same.

Sentiments of a Tranquil Night
by Li Bai

Before my bed is a sheet of moonlight,
As cold and white as a sheet of frost.
When I raise my head I think of the moon,
But when I look down I think of my home.