Writers › Writer / Poet

Li Bai

High Tang poet who served briefly in the Hanlin Academy, was banished to Yelang for joining Prince Yong, and was hailed by He Zhizhang as a banished immortal

Also known as Zi Taibai · Hao Qing Lian Ju Shi · Shi Xian · Zhe Xianren

Li Bai, courtesy name Taibai, styled Qinglian Jushi, claimed ancestry from Chengji in Longxi; he was born either at Suyab in Central Asia or at Changlong in Mianzhou, and grew up in Shu. He left Sichuan around 725 to travel, and in 742 was summoned to Chang'an to serve in the Hanlin Academy, where He Zhizhang, reading his work, called him a banished immortal. In 744 he was sent away with a gift of gold, and afterwards met Du Fu at Luoyang and travelled with Gao Shi. During the An Lushan rebellion he joined the staff of Prince Yong, Li Lin, and after the prince's defeat was sentenced to exile in Yelang, but was pardoned on the way in 759. He died at Dangtu in 762, and his kinsman Li Yangbing gathered his poems as the Caotang ji. About a thousand poems survive, the best known including Hard Is the Road to Shu, Bring In the Wine and the quatrain Quiet Night Thoughts.

Life and times

  1. 701 CEBornTang
  2. 762 CEDied

Works

  1. Literature · Poetry32
    1. Thoughts in the Quiet NightTangLi Bai's five-character quatrain on moonlight by his bed and longing for home
    2. Clear and Even Melody · Part 1 (Clouds Recall Her Raiment)TangLi Bai's court quatrain for Emperor Xuanzong, likening Yang Guifei to a goddess among peonies
    3. The Hard Road to ShuTangLi Bai's long song on the perilous roads into Shu, which made He Zhizhang call him an immortal
    4. The Hard Road (I)TangLi Bai's yuefu on leaving Chang'an, from blocked roads to faith in a day of sailing the sea
    5. Departing Early from Baidi CityTangLi Bai's quatrain on shooting the Three Gorges downstream after his pardon from exile
    6. +25 more
      1. Song of ChangganTangLi Bai's yuefu in the voice of a merchant's wife, from childhood play to waiting for his return
      2. A Dream Journey to Mount Tianmu: A Song of FarewellTangLi Bai's farewell song after leaving court: a dream flight among immortals and a refusal to bow
      3. Drinking Alone Under the Moon, No. 1TangLi Bai's poem from his disappointed Chang'an years, drinking alone with the moon and his shadow
      4. To Wang LunTangLi Bai's impromptu quatrain for a villager who sang him off at Peach Blossom Pool
      5. Viewing the Waterfall at Mount Lu, No. 2TangLi Bai's seven-character quatrain on the Incense Burner Peak waterfall at Mount Lu
      6. Farewell to Collator Shuyun at Xie Tiao's Tower in XuanzhouTangLi Bai's farewell song for his kinsman Li Yun, sorrows that wine cannot drown
      7. Bring in the WineTangLi Bai's yuefu drinking song, from life's brevity and thwarted talent to defiant revelry
      8. Seeing Off Meng Haoran to Guangling at Yellow Crane TowerTangLi Bai's quatrain seeing Meng Haoran off downriver to Yangzhou, a model of Tang farewell verse
      9. Gazing at Tianmen MountainTangYoung Li Bai's quatrain on the Yangtze cutting through twin cliffs near Dangtu
      10. Spring LongingTangLi Bai speaks for a wife in Qin longing for a husband at the northern frontier in Yan
      11. GrievanceTangLi Bai's quatrain of a woman sitting alone in grief, her tears shown but their cause unsaid
      12. Sitting Alone by Jingting MountainTangLi Bai sits alone facing Jingting Mountain, the one companion that never tires of him
      13. Song of QiupuTangLi Bai at Qiupu, startled by his white hair in the mirror: grief told through bold exaggeration
      14. Lament on the Jade StepsTangLi Bai's palace lament on an old ballad title, in which grief is never once named
      15. Song of a TravellerTangLi Bai's quatrain of fine Lanling wine, in which drink makes a strange place feel like home
      16. Listening to a Flute on Yellow Crane Tower with Director Shi QinTangLi Bai's quatrain on hearing a flute at Jiangxia while on his way into exile
      17. Midnight Songs of Wu · SpringTangLi Bai retells the tale of Luofu picking mulberry leaves, turning a governor away with grace
      18. Parting at a Wine Shop in JinlingTangLi Bai's farewell to friends in Jinling, measuring parting against the river flowing east
      19. Mooring at Niuzhu by Night, Thinking of the PastTangLi Bai moors at Niuzhu by night, recalling General Xie and lamenting that no one hears him
      20. Seeing Off a FriendTangLi Bai sees a friend off outside the walls, his farewell carried by drifting clouds and sunset
      21. Seeing Off a Friend Bound for ShuTangLi Bai sees a friend off to Shu, picturing the steep road and telling him not to ask his fate
      22. Climbing Xie Tiao's North Tower in Xuancheng in AutumnTangLi Bai climbs Xie Tiao's tower one autumn, painting the river town and missing its old poet
      23. Listening to Jun, a Monk from Shu, Play the QinTangLi Bai hears a monk from Shu play the qin, like wind in the pines fading into evening bells
      24. To Meng HaoranTangLi Bai praises his friend Meng Haoran, who turned from office to a life among pines and clouds
      25. Crossing Past Jingmen: A FarewellTangLi Bai sails out past Jingmen into open country, the river of his home carrying him on
    7. Open all works→
  2. Literature · Sayings29
    1. Green Plums and Bamboo HorsesTangIdiom from Li Bai's Song of Changgan: childhood sweethearts
    2. Two Innocent ChildrenTangIdiom from Li Bai's Song of Changgan: innocent childhood companions without suspicion
    3. Riding the Wind, Breaking the WavesTangIdiom best known from Li Bai's The Hard Road: bold ambition forging ahead
    4. One Man Holds the PassTangFamous line from Li Bai's The Hard Road to Shu: one man can hold the pass against thousands
    5. Harder Than Climbing to the Blue SkyTangIdiom from Li Bai's The Hard Road to Shu: harder than climbing to the sky
    6. +24 more
      1. Clouds Recall Her Gown, Flowers Her FaceTangLine from Li Bai's Qingping Melody: clouds and flowers call to mind a beauty's robes and face
      2. Clouds and Rosy Mists Flickering Over Mount TianmuTangLine from Li Bai's Dream Journey to Mount Tianmu: a peak glimpsed through shifting clouds
      3. A Lone Sail Coming From Beside the SunTangAphorism from Li Bai's Gazing at Tianmen Mountain: one sail out of the sunlit horizon
      4. A Lone Sail's Fading Shadow on the BlueTangAphorism from Li Bai's farewell to Meng Haoran: watching a friend's sail fade away
      5. Touching the Shen and Jing Stars on the Shu RoadTangIdiom from Li Bai's The Road to Shu Is Hard: a path that brushes the stars
      6. Cutting Flowing Water with a Drawn BladeTangIdiom from Li Bai's farewell at Xie Tiao's Tower: sorrow that cannot be cut off
      7. Drawing the Sword and Looking Around at a LossTangFamous line from Li Bai's Hard Is the Road: a frustrated hero's restless confusion
      8. Lowering the Brows and Bending the Waist to the PowerfulTangIdiom from Li Bai's Dream of Mount Tianmu: bowing and scraping before the powerful
      9. Peach Blossom Pool a Thousand Feet DeepTangIdiom from Li Bai's poem To Wang Lun: a friendship deeper than the pool
      10. Down to Yangzhou in the Misty Blossoms of the Third MonthTangFamous line from Li Bai's farewell to Meng Haoran: the hazy blossoms of late spring
      11. Hoisting a Cloud-High Sail Across the Vast SeaTangFamous line from Li Bai's The Hard Road: confidence to ride the wind and cross the sea
      12. Prose Worthy of the Penglai LibraryTangLine from Li Bai's farewell at Xie Tiao's Tower praising the vigour of Han writing
      13. The Road to Shu, Harder Than Climbing to HeavenTangLine from Li Bai's The Hard Road to Shu: a road harder than climbing to the sky
      14. The Silver River Pours Down from HeavenTangIdiom rooted in Li Bai's Mount Lu poems: a waterfall like the Milky Way falling to earth
      15. The Lushan Waterfall Plunges Straight DownTangFamous line from Li Bai's Viewing the Lushan Waterfall: water flying straight down
      16. Sorrow of Ten Thousand Ages Drowned in WineTangFamous phrase from Li Bai's Bring in the Wine: drinking away the sorrows of all the ages
      17. When Life Goes Well, Enjoy It to the Full: Li Bai's ToastTangFamous line from Li Bai's Bring in the Wine: never leave the golden cup empty to the moon
      18. Back to Jiangling in a Single DayTangFamous line from Li Bai's Leaving Baidi at Dawn: racing downriver with a light heart
      19. Spent Fortunes Will Return AgainTangFamous line from Li Bai's Bring in the Wine: open-handed confidence in one's own future
      20. Heaven Gave Me Talent for a PurposeTangFamous line from Li Bai's Bring in the Wine: unshakable faith in one's own gifts
      21. My Shadow Makes Us ThreeTangFamous line from Li Bai's Drinking Alone by Moonlight: moon, shadow and poet make three
      22. Flowers Recall Her FaceTangFamous line from Li Bai's Qingping Melody: peony blossoms that recall a beauty's face
      23. The Light Boat Has Passed Ten Thousand PeaksTangFamous line from Li Bai's Leaving Baidi at Dawn: the lightness of a pardoned exile sailing home
      24. Dew Lies Thick and Bright on the PeoniesTangFamous line from Li Bai's Qingping Melody: dew-laden peonies as a radiant beauty
  3. Literature · Lyrics2
    1. Deva-Like Barbarian · Boudoir Feelings: Mist over the Level WoodsTangShort ci usually credited to Li Bai: dusk over misty woods and a road home of endless pavilions
    2. Remembering the Lady of Qin · Autumn Thoughts: The Flute SobsTangShort ci usually credited to Li Bai, from a parting at Chang'an to Han tombs in the west wind
  4. Literature · Prose2
    1. Letter to Governor Han of JingzhouTangLi Bai's self-recommending letter to Han Chaozong at Jingzhou, brimming with confidence
    2. Preface to a Spring Night Feast in the Peach and Plum GardenTangLi Bai's short parallel-prose preface to a spring night feast with his cousins among blossoms
  5. Literature · Rhapsodies2
    1. Rhapsody on the Great PengTangYoung Li Bai's rhapsody casting himself as Zhuangzi's giant Peng bird soaring to the heavens
    2. Rhapsody on the Bright Hall · ExcerptTangLi Bai's rhapsody on the Bright Hall at Luoyang, a hymn to Tang power and unity
  6. Treasures · Brushwork1
    1. Ascending the Yang TerraceTang dynastyThe one piece of writing in Li Bai's own hand