Poem: Leaving Baidi City in the Early Morning | Clearharmony

Poem: Leaving Baidi City in the Early Morning

Li Bai

Baidi City is on the mountaintop
was still swathed in red clouds
when my boat sailed from the foothills
early that morning

I reached Jianglin City in the evening
logging hundreds of miles in one day
monkeys were screaming
on both banks of the yangtze

They never let up the whole day's travel
while our frail boat dashed between
a thousand mountains lining the river.

This poem was written by Li Bai, a famous Tang Dynasty poet. It is about his trip on leaving Baidi City early in the morning, and arriving Jianglin City in the evening. Among Tang's poetry, this poem is one of the best known, particularly the last two lines.

Published: Monday 5th May 2003
http://www.clearharmony.net/articles/200305/12142.html