If we were to select the most famous poet in China, it would definitely be Li Bai. Especially the song ‘Quiet Night Thoughts’, it is not an exaggeration to describe it as’ well-known to everyone, women and children’. Li Bai is widely recognized as a romantic poet. His poetry is magnificent and elegant, with rich imagination, wonderful artistic conception, handsome and fresh, and full of romantic spirit. Therefore, he was referred to as the “exiled immortal” by the poet He Zhizhang.
Although Li Bai’s poetry is romantic and elegant, his later years were very unfortunate, full of twists and turns and setbacks. In the 14th year of the Tianbao era (755 AD), Li Bai was 55 years old, during which the An Lushan Rebellion occurred in the Tang Dynasty. The strong Tang Dynasty was located in the Yang Yuhuan area, such as Wang Wei, Li Longji, and of course, Li Bai.
In June of the fifteenth year of Tianbao (756 AD), Emperor Xuanzong of Tang fled to Shu. Halfway through, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang appointed his sixteenth son, Prince Yongwang Li Lin, as the commander-in-chief of Shannan East Road, Lingnan, Qianzhong, and Jiangnan West Road, as well as the commander-in-chief of Jiangling Commandery, stationed in Jiangling. In July, Li Heng ascended the throne in Lingwu and proclaimed himself emperor, becoming Emperor Suzong of Tang and posthumously honoring Emperor Xuanzong of Tang as the Supreme Emperor. After arriving at Jiangling, Prince Yongwang Li Lin recruited tens of thousands of brave warriors as soldiers and arbitrarily appointed officials such as Langguan and Yushi, intending to seize the chaos and seize Jinling to declare himself emperor.
Li Bai was invited by Prince Yong to enter his shogunate during this period. Under Li Lin’s command, Li Bai wrote the “Yongwang’s Eastern Tour Song” to promote Li Lin’s claim to the throne. In the second year of Zhide (757 AD), Li Lin was defeated and killed. Li Bai was arrested. Although many of Li Bai’s acquaintances came forward to plead for him and he wrote poems to express his loyalty to Emperor Suzong, he was still sentenced to exile as a night boy. He was fifty-seven years old that year.
In the second year of Qianyuan (759 AD), the court announced a general amnesty due to a severe drought in Guanzhong, and Li Bai was also among the pardons. After several years of drifting, Li Bai finally gained his freedom. He is sixty years old this year. However, he did not live a stable life. After being pardoned, he became impoverished and relied on the assistance of friends and acquaintances to make ends meet. He often traveled back and forth between Xuancheng and Jinling.
In the second year of the Shangyuan era (761 AD), at the age of 61, Li Bai returned to Jinling due to illness, and his life was quite difficult. He had no choice but to seek refuge with his uncle Li Yangbing, who was then serving as the county magistrate in Dangtu. In the third year of Shangyuan (762 AD), Li Bai fell seriously ill and knew that there was no hope of recovery. He handed over the unfinished manuscript to Li Yangbing on his sickbed and passed away at the age of sixty-two.
Li Yangbing wrote in “Preface to the Collection of Taibai Caotang”: “Yangbing tried string songs at Dangtu, and the Duke (Li Bai) was in a hurry. He drafted ten thousand volumes, collected them by hand without editing, and gave them a brief introduction on his pillow.” A poet who wrote many romantic poems, his later years were so desolate and devoid of romance. This reminds me of my favorite actor, Robin Williams, who passed away last year. A person who was dedicated to bringing laughter to the audience, he suffered from depression for a long time and eventually committed suicide.
Perhaps people feel that fate is too unfair to Li Bai, so someone has created a very romantic and legendary experience for him, telling people that Li Bai actually died not from illness, but from “catching the moon”. When Li Bai was in Dangtu County, one night after drinking, he was boating on the river and saw a bright moon reflecting on the calm surface of the river.
Li Bai was pleasantly surprised when he thought the moon had fallen from the sky. He jumped into the river from the small boat, hoping to catch the moon. The poet Li Bai drowned as a result. Some people have built a “catch platform” specifically to commemorate this great poet. Li Bai loves wine. He once wrote in his poetry, “Cooking sheep and slaughtering cows is a pleasure, and we must drink three hundred at a time.” He also said, “Raise your cup to invite the bright moon, and form three people with shadows. This legend also conforms to his personality and daily habits. Although legends may be beautiful, reality is ultimately cruel.
