Question and Answer on the Mountain

You ask for what reason I stay on the green mountain,
I smile, but do not answer, my heart is at leisure.
Peach blossom is carried far off by flowing water,
Apart, I have heaven and earth in the human world.

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by Li Bai, 740 AD

Thoughts on a Still Night

Before my bed, the moon is shining bright,
I think it is frost upon the ground.
I raise my head and look at the bright moon.
I lower my head and think of home.




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by Li Bai, 740 AD

Seeing a Friend Off at Jingman Ferry

When you sail far past Jingman
you enter the land of Chu
where mountains end and flat plains begin
and the river pours into a huge wilderness.
Above, the moon sails, sky mirror,
and clouds weave and swell into a sea mirage of terraces.
Below your wandering boat, water from the home you love
still sees you off after ten thousand miles.

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by Li Bai