Li Bai (701-762) was one of the greatest poets of the Tang Dynasty.
临终歌
大鹏飞兮振八裔[1]，
中天[2]摧兮力不济。
余风[3]激兮万世，
游扶桑[4]兮挂[5]左袂[6]。
后人得之传此，
仲尼亡兮谁为出涕[7]？
这是李白为自己撰写的墓志铭。李白终其一生都在为实现自己的理想和远大抱负而奋斗，他视自己为大鹏的化身，大鹏永远是振翅翱翔的形象。但这只大鹏再也飞不动了，他觉得自己这样一只大鹏已经飞到不能再飞的时候了，他便长歌当哭，为大鹏唱一支悲壮的《临终歌》。李白在诗中回顾自己一生的时候，流露的是对人生无比眷念和未能才尽其用的深沉惋惜。或许，在他生命的尽头，一只振翅高翔的大鹏永远定格在了他的心中。
注释：
[1]八裔（yì）：八方荒原之地。
[2]中天：半空。
[3]余风：遗风。
[4]扶桑：古代神话传说中的大树，生在太阳升起的地方。古代把太阳作为君主的象征。此处暗喻到了皇帝身边。
[5]挂：喻腐朽势力阻挠。
[6]左袂：左边衣袖。
[7]仲尼亡兮谁为出涕：指孔子泣麟的典故。传说麒麟是一种祥瑞的异兽。鲁哀公十四年（前481年），鲁国猎获一只麒麟，孔子认为麒麟出非其时，而被捕获，非常难受。
On Death-Bed
When flies the roc,he shakes the world.
In mid-air his weakened wings are furled.
The wind he’s raised still stirs the sea,
He hangs his left wing on sun-side tree.
Posterity mine,hear,O,hear!
Confucius dead,who’ll shed a tear?
This is the epitaph that Li Bai wrote for himself. Li Bai struggled to realize his ideals and lofty ambitions throughout his life. He regarded himself as the incarnation of the Great Peng, and the Great Peng would always be seen soaring with wings flapping. But this Great Peng could no longer fly. He felt that he could no longer fly, so he sang a long song as a way of crying, singing a tragic “Death Song” for the Great Peng. When Li Bai reviewed his life in the poem, he expressed his deep regret for his life and his inability to make full use of his talents. Perhaps, at the end of his life, a Great Peng flapping its wings and soaring high will always be fixed in his heart.
