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Kè Zhōng ZuòWritten as a Traveler 客中作

Li Bai (李白, also known as Li Po, Li Taibai)｜High Tang｜seven-character quatrain

Li Bai finds good wine makes anywhere feel like home.

Original Chinese text with pinyin

兰陵美酒郁金香
lán líng měi jiǔ yù jīn xiāng

玉碗盛来琥珀光
yù wǎn chéng lái hǔ pò guāng

但使主人能醉客
dàn shǐ zhǔ rén néng zuì kè

不知何处是他乡
bù zhī hé chù shì tā xiāng

Simplified characters; traditional title: 客中作.

English translation

The fine wine of Lanling smells of turmeric;

In a jade bowl it glows like amber.

If only my host can make his guest drunk,

I will not know which land is strange to me.

Original translation by Poetune — literal but poetic, written for this site.

Line by line

兰陵美酒郁金香 · lán líng měi jiǔ yù jīn xiāng — The fine wine of Lanling smells of turmeric;

玉碗盛来琥珀光 · yù wǎn chéng lái hǔ pò guāng — In a jade bowl it glows like amber.

但使主人能醉客 · dàn shǐ zhǔ rén néng zuì kè — If only my host can make his guest drunk,

不知何处是他乡 · bù zhī hé chù shì tā xiāng — I will not know which land is strange to me.

Meaning and imagery

Travel poems usually lament homesickness; Li Bai turns the convention upside down. The first half is a sensuous close-up of golden wine in a jade bowl. The second half is a cheerful twist: with a generous host and enough wine, the traveler forgets he is far from home at all.

Background

Written during Li Bai's travels in the Shandong area, where Lanling was famous for its wine.

Key words

郁金香 yù jīn xiāng: the fragrance of turmeric (not tulip)
琥珀 hǔ pò: amber
他乡 tā xiāng: a foreign place

About the poet: Li Bai

Li Bai (also romanized Li Po; courtesy name Taibai) is celebrated as the "Immortal of Poetry." Raised in Sichuan, he spent much of his life wandering, briefly served at the court of Emperor Xuanzong in Chang'an, and is remembered for his love of wine, the moon and untamed nature. He and Du Fu are regarded as the two greatest poets of the Tang dynasty.

Lifetime: 701–762. Other famous works: Farewell to a Friend (送友人); Song of Qiupu (White Hair) (秋浦歌); Midnight Song of Wu (Autumn) (子夜吴歌); Question and Answer in the Mountains (山中问答); For Wang Lun (赠汪伦); The Road Is Hard (行路难); Sitting Alone Facing Jingting Mountain (独坐敬亭山); Written as a Traveler (客中作); Song of the Moon over Mount Emei (峨眉山月歌); Resentment (怨情); Farewell to Meng Haoran at Yellow Crane Tower (黄鹤楼送孟浩然之广陵); Quiet Night Thoughts (静夜思); Bring In the Wine (将进酒); Drinking Alone Under the Moon (月下独酌); Viewing the Waterfall at Mount Lu (望庐山瀑布); Leaving Baidi City at Dawn (早发白帝城); The Hard Road to Shu (蜀道难).