The works of Li Bai

 

By S. Obata. Distributor: Lulu. $29.99. 260 pages. Paperback CQ. 2016 (1922).

The translation of Li Bai's poems by Obata is important in that Obata was able to draw from Japanese and Chinese commentaries and existing European translations.  Although the author explained that many of his translations are far from literal, “A literal translation would often leave a Chinese poem unintelligible unless supplied with a great amount of exegesis, and I did not wish to empty all the rich content of the original into footnotes.” Obata’s translation style has both simplicity and accuracy while respecting the original poetry and equating the mood and spirit of Li Bai’s poetry. 

This work provides 132 translates poems, three biographical notes on Li Bai, and references on the topic.

His presentation should be read in parallel with that of Hervey de Saint Denis, Poésies de l'époque des Tang and Li sao, ou Tristesse de la séparation, de Chuci, John Francis Davis, The poetry of the Chinese and Joseph Edkins, Essays on Chinese poetry.

In this edition, 450 original transliteration terms have been updated to pinyin.

 

Contents

 

  • Editorial notice
  • Preface
  • Introduction
  • Part I — Poems by Li Bai
    1. On the ship of spice-wood [江上吟]
    2. In the Mountains on a Summer Day [夏日山中]
    3. Nocturne [秋浦歌十七首其十三]
    4. A farewell song of white clouds [白雲歌送劉十六歸山]
    5. The long-departed lover [寄遠]
    6. Lady Yang Guifei at the imperial feast of the peony [清平調一]
    7. Lady Yang Guifei at the imperial feast of the peony— II [清平調 二]
    8. Lady Yang Guifei at the imperial feast of the peony— III [清平調 三]
    9. A poem composed at the imperial command in the spring garden, while looking on the newly green willows by the dragon pond and listening to the hundredfold notes of the first nightingales [侍從宜春苑奉詔賦龍池柳色初青聽新鶯百囀歌]
    10. To his friend departing for Shu [送友人入蜀]
    11. To his three friends [送韓准裴政孔巢父還山]
    12. Addressed humorously to Du Fu [戲贈杜甫]
    13. On a picture screen [觀元丹丘坐巫山屏風]
    14. On ascending the North Tower one autumn day [秋登宣城謝眺北樓]
    15. The summit temple [题峰頂寺]
    16. Laolao Ting, a tavern [劳劳亭]
    17. The night of sorrow [怨情]
    18. The sorrow of the jewel staircase [玉階怨]
    19. The girl of Ba speaks [巴女詞]
    20. The women of Yue — I [越女詞一]
    21. The women of Yue — II [越女詞二]
    22. The women of Yue — III [越女詞三]
    23. The women of Yue — IV [越女詞四]
    24. The women of Yue — V [越女詞五]
    25. The solitude of night [自遣]
    26. The Monument of Tears [襄陽曲四首 – 其三]
    27. On a quiet night [靜夜思]
    28. The blue water [綠水曲]
    29. The Jingting Mountain [獨坐敬亭山]
    30. With a man of leisure [山中與幽人對酌]
    31. The Emei Mountain moon [峨眉山月之歌]
    32. On the city street [相逢行]
    33. On the death of the good brewer of Xuancheng [哭宣城善釀紀叟]
    34. To his wife [贈內]
    35. The poet thinks of his old home [憶東山二首]
    36. Sorrow of the long gate palace— I [長門怨二首其一]
    37. Sorrow of the long gate palace— II [長門怨二首其二]
    38. An encounter in the field [陌上贈美人]
    39. To Wang Lun [贈汪倫]
    40. On seeing off Meng Haoran [黃鶴樓送孟浩然之廣陵]
    41. On being asked who he is [答湖州迦葉司馬問白是何人]
    42. In the mountains [山中問答]
    43. The fair queen of Wu [口號吳王美人半醉]
    44. While journeying [客中行]
    45. The ruin of the Gusu palace [蘇臺覽古]
    46. The ruin of the capital of Yue [越中覽古]
    47. The river journey from White King City [早發白帝城]
    48. By the great wall — I [塞下曲六首- 其五]
    49. By the great wall — II [塞下曲六首- 其四]
    50. The imperial concubine [宫中行乐词八首 其一]
    51. Parting at Jingmen [渡荊門送別]
    52. On the Yueyang tower with his friend, Xia [與夏十二登岳陽樓]
    53. Awakening from sleep on a spring day [春日醉起言志]
    54. Three with the moon and his shadow [月下獨酌四首 其一]
    55. An exhortation [將進酒]
    56. The intruder [春思]
    57. The crows at nightfall [烏夜啼]
    58. To Meng Haoran [孟浩然]
    59. To Dong Zaoqiu [憶舊游寄譙郡元參軍]
    60. Taking leave of a friend [送友人]
    61. Maid of Wu [對酒]
    62. The lotus [古風 (五十九首)]
    63. To his two children [寄東魯二稚子]
    64. To a friend going home [送萧三十一之鲁中兼问稚子伯禽]
    65. A mountain revelry [友人會宿]
    66. The old dust [擬古其九]
    67. A pair of swallows [雙燕離]
    68. At a river town [送客歸吳]
    69. I am a peach tree [自代內贈]
    70. The silk spinner [荊州歌 (Song of Jingzhou)]
    71. Zhuang Zhou and the butterfly [古風]
    72. The poet mourns his Japanese friend [哭晁卿衡]
    73. In the spring-time on the south side of the Yangzi Jiang [江南春懷]
    74. The steep road to Shu [蜀道難]
    75. Parting at a tavern of Jinling [金陵酒肆留别]
    76. The Phoenix bird tower [登金陵鳳凰臺]
    77. His dream of the Sky-land: a farewell poem [夢游天姥吟留別]
    78. In Memoriam [對酒憶賀監二首] (The poet mourns He Zhizhang)
    79. On the road of ambition [南陵別兒童入京] (The poet departs from Nanling for the capital)
    80. To Du Fu from Sand hill city [沙丘城下寄杜甫]
    81. A vindication [月下獨酌]
    82. To Lu, the registrar [贈廬司戶]
    83. To the fisherman [沐浴子]
    84. The tears of banishment [見京兆韋參軍量移東陽二首]
    85. The lotus gatherer [採蓮曲]
    86. The sport-fellows [君馬黄]
    87. The dancing girl [白纻辭三首 其一]
    88. The rover of Zhao [俠客行]
    89. To his friend at Jiangxia [江夏贈韋南陵冰]
    90. The cataract of Lushan — I [望廬山瀑布水二首 其一]
    91. The cataract of Lushan — II [望廬山瀑布水二首 其二]
    92. Bereft of their love [遠別離]
    93. Lady Wang Zhao — I [王昭君二首 其一]
    94. Lady Wang Zhao — II [王昭君二首 其二]
    95. The north wind [北風行]
    96. The borderland moon [關山月]
    97. The nefarious war [戰城南]
    98. Before the cask of wine [前有一樽酒行二首]
    99. Yuan Danqiu of the East Mountain [題元丹丘山居]
    100. Lines [三五七言]
    101. The ballads of the four seasons – Spring [子夜春歌]
    102. The ballads of the four seasons – Summer [子夜夏歌]
    103. The ballads of the four seasons – Autumn [子夜吳歌]
    104. The ballads of the four seasons – Winter [子夜冬歌]
    105. Two letters from Changgan — I [長干行二首 其一]
    106. Two letters from Changgan — II [長干行二首 其二]
    107. On ascending the Xinping tower [登新平樓]
    108. On going to visit a Daoist recluse on mount Daitian, but failing to meet him [訪戴天山道士不遇]
    109. At the cell of an absent mountain priest [尋山僧不遇作]
    110. On a moonlight night [望月有懷]
    111. A visit to Yuan Danqiu in the mountains [尋高鳳石門山中元丹丘]
    112. A midnight farewell [送殷淑三首其三]
    113. The song of Lushan [廬山謠寄盧侍御虛舟]
    114. To his wife on his departure —I [別內赴徵三首 其一]
    115. To his wife on his departure — II [別內赴徵三首 其二]
    116. To his wife on his departure — III [別內赴徵三首 其三]
    117. On his white hair [秋浦歌十七首 其十五]
    118. To the honorable justice Xin [流夜郎贈辛判官]
    119. On hearing the flute in the Yellow crane house [與史郎中欽聽黃鶴樓上吹笛]
    120. On hearing the flute at Luocheng one spring night [春夜洛城聞笛]
    121. On the Dongting lake — I [陪族叔刑部侍郎曄及中書賈舍人至游洞庭五首 其一]
    122. On the Dongting lake — II [陪族叔刑部侍郎曄及中書賈舍人至游洞庭五首 其二]
    123. To his wife [南流夜郎寄內]
    124. To his friend, Wei, the good governor of Jiangxia written in commemoration of the old friendship during the days of his banishment after the tumult of war. [經亂離後天恩流夜郎憶舊游書懷贈江夏韋太守良宰]
  • Part II. Poems by other poets concerning Li Bai
    1. Du Fu – The eight immortals of the Winecup [杜甫 – 飲中八仙歌]
    2. Li Shizhi – The ex-minister [李适之-天 寶五載初罷 相作李適之]
    3. Du Fu – A visit to Fan with Li Bai [杜甫 – 與李十二白同尋范十隱居]
    4. Jia Zhi – Parting with Li Bai on the Dongting Lake [洞庭送李十二赴零 賈至]
    5. Cui Zongzi – An invitation to Li Bai [贈李十二 崔宗之]
    6. Du Fu – To Li Bai on a spring day [杜甫 – 春日憶李白]
    7. Du Fu – To Li Bai [杜甫 – 不見（近無李白消息）]
    8. Bai Juyi – The grave of Li Bai [白之墓 白居易]
    9. Part III. Biographical notes on Li Bai by Chinese authors
    10. Li Yangbing – Preface to the first edition of the poetic works of Li Taibai
    11. Li Bai — A biography by Liu Xu
    12. Li Bai— a biography by Song Qi
  • Annexes
    • The Roadside Mulberries [陌上桑]
    • Bibliography
    • Notes on the Chinese texts
    • Translations and works on Li Bai
    • [Indexed Bibliography]
    • Biographical References
    • Western References
    • Chinese References
    • Supplementary References
    • Poems of Li Bai translated in this book