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9 “Li the Banished Immortal” Writes in Drunkenness to Impress the Barbarians How enviable Li the Banished Immortal! Between cups of wine, he poured out poem after poem. In talent, he outshone scholars of the day; In writing style, he surpassed worthy men of old. His letter to the barbarians inspired awe; His lines praising Consort Yang graced the zither strings. Say not that the gifted poet is no more; The bright moon still hangs over the Caishi Cliªs.1 The story goes that during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong [712–55] of the Tang dynasty, there lived a gifted poet, Li Bai [also spelled Li Po or Li Bo] by name, courtesy name Taibai, who was a ninth-generation descendant of Emperor Li Hao of Western Liang2 and a native of Jinzhou, Sichuan. Before giving birth to him, his mother dreamed that the star Taibai [the god of the planet Venus] had fallen into her abdomen. Hence, Bai for his given name and Taibai for his courtesy name. He turned out to be a comely boy with an air of refinement that was quite out of this world. At age ten, he was already well versed in history and the classics, and words that flowed from his mouth had the literary grace of well-composed essays. All and sundry praised him for his remarkable talent, saying that he was a reincarnated immortal from heaven, hence the nickname “Li the Banished Immortal.” There is, in testimony, a poem Du Fu3 wrote for him: In days gone by, there was that free spirit Called “Immortal Banished from Heaven,” Whose pen summoned the winds and rain, Whose poems moved ghosts and deities to tears. From oblivion, he rose to sudden fame, And his name began to spread far and wide. His talent now widely recognized, His name goes down in history, unrivaled. 124 Li Bai, who called himself the “Blue-Lotus Recluse,” had a lifelong passion for drinking. His ambition was not to have a career as an o‹cial but to ramble around all the four seas and famous mountains and taste all kinds of good wine that could be found in the land. After climbing Mount Emei, he took up residence in the Yunmeng Marshes. After that, he went to live as a hermit at Bamboo Creek on Mount Zulai, where he drank to his heart’s content day in and day out with Kong Chaofu and four other men. They called themselves “The Six Men of Leisure of Bamboo Creek.” When he heard about the superior quality of the Wucheng wine of Huzhou, Li Bai readily undertook the long journey to Huzhou, where he went on drinking bouts in wineshops, totally oblivious of people around him. One day, Mr. Jiaye, the deputy magistrate, was passing by a wineshop when he heard Li Bai’s wild singing. He sent an attendant to find out who the man was. Without missing a beat, Li Bai came up with a quatrain by way of reply: “Blue Lotus Layman, Banished Immortal, For thirty years, in wineshops have I taken shelter. The magistrate of Huzhou need not ask; A Vimalakirti born again am I.”4 Much taken aback, Magistrate Jiaye asked, “Might he be Li of Sichuan, the Banished Immortal? I have long heard of his fame.” Thereupon, he asked to see Li Bai. He kept Li Bai for ten days, during which time much wine was consumed. At their parting, he showered gifts upon Li Bai and said, “With your talent, gaining a career as an o‹cial would be as easy for you as picking up a blade of grass. Why don’t you travel to Chang’an to sit for the examinations?” Li Bai replied, “With the imperial court in such a confused state, there’s no fairness to speak of. Those who pull strings and pay bribes left and right are given high honors in the exams. Those who don’t resort to such means get nowhere, even if they are as virtuous as Confucius and Mencius or as talented as Chao Cuo and Dong Zhongshu5 (Such have been the ways of the world for all too long. How lamentable ! ) It’s precisely to avoid being bullied by stupid examiners that I’ve been indulging myself in the pleasures of poetry and wine.” “What you say may all be very true,” replied the magistrate, “but who hasn’t heard of your name? Once you’re in Chang’an...

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