Li Bai (701-762) was one of the greatest poets of the Tang Dynasty.
哭宣城[1]善酿纪叟
纪叟黄泉里，
还应酿老春[2]。
夜台[3]无李白，
沽酒与何人？
李白在宣城为悼念一位善于酿酒的纪师傅，写下了这首纸短情长的悼亡诗。句句写的都是虚拟中的纪叟死后之事，这是一个特殊的抒情角度。诗人说纪叟在黄泉下，还应该在酿老春酒，这就等于说明了纪叟生前是酿酒的。说“夜台无李白，沽酒与何人”，等于说明李白是纪叟生前的老主顾。这样写就是以简驭繁了。第二个特殊的角度，诗中又幻想纪叟还活着，依旧在黄泉下酿酒。纪叟怎么能不死呢？因为诗人不相信他死了，也不忍心让他死去。这里写的不是客观的事实，而是主观的感情。这样表达出来的悲痛和友情，比一般的友情要深得多。第三个特殊的角度，诗人不说自己如何怀念纪叟，反说纪叟在怀念自己。这样从对方的角度写，等于把两个人的感情加在一个人身上，感情的分量和抒情的效果都增加了一倍。李白诗的本色，正是用天然的语言，表示最深挚的感情。这首小诗可以说是他最后的代表作，因为不久之后，他就离开了人世。译诗中写虚拟之事，没有用虚拟语态，而是用了陈述语气，仿佛纪叟真没有死，这样表示的友情，比用虚拟式又更深了一层。
注释：
[1]宣城：在今安徽省东南。
[2]老春：唐人称酒多有“春”字，此处指纪叟所酿酒名。
[3]夜台：坟墓。亦借指阴间。
Elegy on Master Brewer Ji of Xuancheng[1]
For thirsty souls are you still brewing
Good wine of Old Spring,Master Ji?
In underworld are you not ruing
To lose a connoisseur like me?
Notes：
[1]In present-day Anhui Province.
Li Bai wrote this short but sentimental poem in memory of Master Ji, who was good at brewing wine, in Xuancheng. Every sentence describes the virtual Ji Sou’s death, which is a special lyrical angle. The poet said that Ji Sou should still brew Laochun wine in the underworld, which is equivalent to saying that Ji Sou brewed wine during his lifetime. Saying “There is no Li Bai on the night stage, who should I sell wine to” is equivalent to saying that Li Bai was Ji Sou’s old customer during his lifetime. Writing in this way is to control complexity with simplicity. The second special angle is that the poem imagines that Ji Sou is still alive and still brewing wine in the underworld. How can Ji Sou not die? Because the poet does not believe that he is dead, and he can’t bear to let him die. What is written here is not objective facts, but subjective feelings. The grief and friendship expressed in this way are much deeper than ordinary friendship. The third special angle is that the poet does not say how much he misses Ji Sou, but says that Ji Sou misses himself. Writing from the perspective of the other person is like adding the feelings of two people to one person, doubling the weight of the feelings and the lyrical effect. The true nature of Li Bai’s poetry is to use natural language to express the deepest feelings. This short poem can be said to be his last representative work, because he passed away not long after. The translated poem does not use the subjunctive voice to write about virtual things, but uses the indicative mood, as if Ji Sou really did not die. The friendship expressed in this way is deeper than using the subjunctive voice.
