Li Bai (701-December 762), whose name was Taibai, was named Qinglianjushi, also known as “The Immortal”. A great romantic poet in the Tang Dynasty, he was hailed as “The Immortal of Poetry” by future generations, and he was called “The Immortal of Poetry” together with Du Fu.
夜泊牛渚怀古
牛渚[1]西江[2]夜，
青天无片云。
登舟望秋月，
空忆谢将军[3]。
余亦能高咏，
斯人[4]不可闻。
明朝挂帆席，
枫叶落纷纷。
牛渚在安徽马鞍山，山脚插入长江，就是著名的采石矶。李白月夜泊舟牛渚，不禁想起了晋朝镇守牛渚的谢将军，将军赞赏袁宏在船上朗诵的咏史诗，使袁宏声名大振。而李白和袁宏同病相怜，却没有人扶持。最后诗人又想象离开时的落叶秋色，用写景来衬托不遇知音的寂寞情怀。王夫之说这首诗是“不着一字，尽得风流”的典型。李白死后就葬在采石矶。
注释：
[1]牛渚：山名，在今安徽省马鞍山市西南。
[2]西江：从南京以西到江西境内的一段长江，古代称西江。
[3]谢将军：东晋谢尚，今河南省周口市太康县人，官镇西将军。
[4]斯人：指谢尚。
Thoughts on Old Time from a Night-Mooring near Cattle Hill
I moor near Cattle Hill at night
When there’s no cloud to fleck the sky.
On deck I gaze at the moon so bright,
Thinking of General Xie[1]with a sigh.
I too can chant—to what avail?
None has like him a listening ear.
Tomorrow I shall hoist my sail,
’Mid fallen maple leaves I’ll leave here.
注释：
[1]General Xie of the Jin Dynasty(265–420)praised a young poet who chanted his poem one moonlit night on the river by Cattle Hill(in present-day Anhui Province).
Niuzhu is located in Ma’anshan, Anhui Province. The foot of the mountain is inserted into the Yangtze River, which is the famous Caishiji. Li Bai moored his boat at Niuzhu on a moonlit night, and could not help but think of General Xie who guarded Niuzhu in the Jin Dynasty. The general praised Yuan Hong for reciting historical poems on the boat, which made Yuan Hong famous. Li Bai and Yuan Hong were in the same boat, but no one supported them. Finally, the poet imagined the autumn colors of fallen leaves when he left, and used scenery to set off the lonely feelings of not meeting a soulmate. Wang Fuzhi said that this poem is a typical example of “without a single word, it is full of elegance”. Li Bai was buried in Caishiji after his death.
