Li Bai was born in Sujab, near Lake Balkash in
then-Chinese Central Asia.When he turned five
years old, he was brought back to Jiangyu (Chiangyu)
County in Sichuan (Szechuan), where he
spent most of his boyhood and youth until he
turned 18. Li Bai wrote poetry for a living, and his
greatest supporters were members of the official
class. He traveled extensively during his lifetime,
and his easygoing personality enabled him to make
many friends wherever he went. For a brief time, Li
Bai enjoyed the favor of Emperor Xuanzhong
(Hsüan-tsung) and lived in the palace until his involvement
in political intrigue resulted in his banishment
to the southwest.He later died of sickness
at Tangtu, in modern Anhui, when he was 61.
Of Li Bai’s 20,000 poems, only 1,600 survive.
The main themes of his poetry are beautiful
women and friendship. Some of his most moving
poems deal with the sadness that results from the
separation of friends.His poems also reflect the influence
of the Chinese philosophy of Daoism
(Taoism). An example of a poem containing
Daoist imagery is “Dialogue in the Mountains,” in
which Li Bai describes his love of nature:
You ask why I dwell in the green hills
Smiling, I reply not, heart in peace.
This otherworldliness in his poetry has gained Li
Bai the title of “Poetic Immortal.”His disregard for
convention reveals itself in the free style and lack of
rules in the structure of his poetry.
Li Bai’s masterpieces are his Yueh Fu, songs,
which exemplify his romantic style and celebrate
his carefree spirit and his love for both wine and
lovely women. His fellow poet Du Fu (Tu Fu)
praised him, saying that his name would survive
for 10,000 years. Translator Rewi Alley agrees, saying
Li Bai “had a magic touch which took men
high above the mundane affairs of life.”
English Versions of Works by Li Bai
Li Pai: 200 Selected Poems. Translated by Rewi Alley.
Hong Kong: Joint Publishing Co., 1980.
Selected Poems of Li Bo. Translated by David Hinton.
New York: New Directions Publishing, 1996.
Works about Li Bai
Hu, Patricia Pin-ching. “Tang’s Golden Age.” In: Random
Talks on Classical Chinese Poetry. Hong Kong:
Joint Sun Publishing Co., 1990.
Varsano, Paul M. Tracking the Vanished Mortal: The
Poetry of Li Bo and its Criticism. Honolulu: University
of Hawaii Press, 2003.