Here at the frontier, the leaves fall like rain. Although my neighbors are all barbarians, and you, you are a thousand miles away, there are still two cups at my table.


Ten thousand flowers in spring, the moon in autumn, a cool breeze in summer, snow in winter. If your mind isn't clouded by unnecessary things, this is the best season of your life.

~ Wu-men ~


Thursday, September 19, 2013

Harvest Moon 2013

Alone And Drinking Under The Moon

Amongst the flowers I
am alone with my pot of wine
drinking by myself; then lifting
my cup I asked the moon
to drink with me, its reflection
and mine in the wine cup, just
the three of us; then I sigh
for the moon cannot drink,
and my shadow goes emptily along
with me never saying a word;
with no other friends here, I can
but use these two for company;
in the time of happiness, I
too must be happy with all
around me; I sit and sing
and it is as if the moon
accompanies me; then if I
dance, it is my shadow that
dances along with me; while
still not drunk, I am glad
to make the moon and my shadow
into friends, but then when
I have drunk too much, we
all part; yet these are
friends I can always count on
these who have no emotion
whatsoever; I hope that one day
we three will meet again,
deep in the Milky Way.


4 comments:

walt said...

By golly, I saw that very moon this morning at 4 AM.

No drinks these days for me, but in days passed, the clearest wine I ever drank was by myself, surrounded by nature.

If you are next in those circumstances, and feel a need for music, you might enjoy this, or maybe this; they both rather fit the mood of Li Po's poem.

Rick Matz said...

Thanks Walt!

Paul said...

One of the biggest dilemmas in life is that sometimes we are torn between the need to unite with our own shadow and the need to unite with other humans, in Li's time as well as in ours. In both cases, a glass of wine unites everything!

Cheers and happy mid-autumn festival!

Rick Matz said...

Cheers to you as well, Paul!