The Poet Li Po, A.D. 701-762 (Annotated)
Enriched Edition. Tang Dynasty Lyrics of Wine, Moonlight, Exile, and Daoist Wandering in Classical Chinese PoetryBy Arthur Waley, Bai Li
Length1h 50m
About this audiobook
The Poet Li Po, A.D. 701-762 presents a compact yet resonant encounter with one of Tang China's most celebrated poetic imaginations, mediated through Arthur Waley's lucid modern translations. The collection gathers lyrics of wine, exile, friendship, moonlight, political disappointment, and ecstatic wandering, revealing a voice at once courtly and untamed. Its range moves from epigrammatic delicacy to visionary expansiveness, situating Li Po within the golden age of Chinese poetry while making his art legible to English-language readers. Waley, among the most influential early twentieth-century interpreters of East Asian literature, helped shape modern Anglophone understandings of Chinese poetics through translations attentive to clarity, cadence, and cultural implication. In presenting Bai Li—better known in the West as Li Po or Li Bai—he engages a poet associated with Daoist freedom, romantic self-fashioning, and the cosmopolitan brilliance of the Tang dynasty. Together, translator and poet illuminate a literary world where personal feeling, landscape, ritual, and metaphysical longing converge. This volume is recommended for readers seeking both an introduction to classical Chinese poetry and a historically significant act of translation. It offers a rare opportunity to experience Li Po's enduring themes through Waley's elegant interpretive lens, inviting reflection on lyric universality, cultural distance, and the continuing dialogue between Chinese tradition and world literature.
This enriched edition has been carefully crafted to add value to your reading experience.
- A succinct Introduction situates the work's timeless appeal and themes.
- The Synopsis outlines the central plot, highlighting key developments without spoiling critical twists.
- A detailed Historical Context immerses you in the era's events and influences that shaped the writing.
- A thorough Analysis dissects symbols, motifs, and character arcs to unearth underlying meanings.
- Reflection questions prompt you to engage personally with the work's messages, connecting them to modern life.
- Hand‐picked Memorable Quotes shine a spotlight on moments of literary brilliance.
Audiobook details
GenrePoetry, Literary Classics
Length1 hr 50 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateNov 25, 2023
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1The Poet Li Po, A.D. 701-762 (Annotated)
2Introduction
3Historical Context
4Synopsis (Selection)
5INTRODUCTION
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6XXXI. 25.
7THE TEXT OF THE POEMS.
8TRANSLATIONS
9II. 7. Ku Fēng , No. 6
10III. 1. The Distant Parting
11III. 4. The Szechwan Road
12III. 15. Fighting
13III. 16. Drinking Song
14III. 26. The Sun
15IV. 19. On the Banks of Jo-yeh
16IV. 24. Ch’ang-kan
17VII. 4. River Song
18XIII. 11. Sent to the Commissary Yüan of Ch’iao City, in Memory of Former Excursions
19XV. 2. A Dream of T’ien-mu Mountain
20XV. 16. Parting with Friends at a Wineshop in Nanking
21XV. 28. At Chiang-hsia, parting from Sung Chih-t’i
22XX. 1. The White River at Nan-yang
23XX. 1. The Clear Cold Spring
24XX. 8. Going down Chung-nan Mountain and spending the Night drinking with the Hermit Tou-ssŭ
25XXIII. 3. Drinking alone by Moonlight
26XXIII. 9. In the Mountains on a Summer Day
27XXIII. 10. Drinking together in the Mountains
28XXIII. 10. Waking from Drunkenness on a Spring Day
29XXIII. 13. Self-Abandonment
30XXV. 1. To Tan Ch’iu
31XXX. 8. Clearing up at Dawn
32DISCUSSION ON THE FOREGOING PAPER
33Analysis
34Reflection
35Memorable Quotes
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