Waking from Drunken Sleep on a Spring Day

by Li Bai

Life is a dream. No need to stir.
Remembering this I'm drunk all day.
Lying helpless beside the porch,
Waking to see the deep garden.
One bird calls among the flowers.
Ask myself what's the season?
Song of the oriole in Spring breezes,
Voice of beauty sadly moves me.
Is there wine? Ah, fill the cup.
Sing and watch the white moon rise,
until song's end and sense is gone.

Li Po

Waking from Drunken Sleep on a Spring Day is featured in our collection of Drinking Poems.

Illustration by Leng Mei, The Spring Evening Banquet, ink & color on silk

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