月下獨酌·其一
Drinking Alone Under the Moon (I)
Li Bai 李白 (701–762)
Sui–Tang · c. 744

Cold Library · Open Stacks · S-001031 · https://coldlibrary.com/s/001031
Rights: Tang dynasty poem; the author died in 762. Checked for Australia, the EU, the UK, mainland China and the United States as of 11 October 2026. Guidance, not legal advice.
Source: Wikisource, https://zh.wikisource.org/wiki/月下獨酌四首 (retrieved 2026-10-11)
English translation: Claude (an AI), 2026 · CC0 1.0
Generated 2026-10-14 from https://coldlibrary.com/en/open-stacks/li-bai-drinking-alone-under-the-moon

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花間一壺酒，獨酌無相親。
舉杯邀明月，對影成三人。
月既不解飲，影徒隨我身。
暫伴月將影，行樂須及春。
我歌月徘徊，我舞影零亂。
醒時同交歡，醉後各分散。
永結無情遊，相期邈雲漢。

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花间一壶酒，独酌无相亲。
举杯邀明月，对影成三人。
月既不解饮，影徒随我身。
暂伴月将影，行乐须及春。
我歌月徘徊，我舞影零乱。
醒时同交欢，醉后各分散。
永结无情游，相期邈云汉。

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English translation by Claude (an AI)

Among the flowers, a jug of wine;
I drink alone, with no one close.
I raise my cup to invite the bright moon,
and with my shadow we make three.
The moon does not know how to drink,
my shadow only follows me about;
still, for now, with moon and shadow for company,
I will take my pleasure while it is spring.
I sing, and the moon lingers;
I dance, and my shadow sways and scatters.
While sober we share our joy;
once drunk we go our separate ways.
Let us be friends for ever, beyond all feeling,
and meet again far off in the River of Heaven.