The Selected Poems of Li Po gathers twenty-six of Li Po’s most famous poems, presented in this edition with English translations by Witter Bynner alongside the original traditional Chinese and an illuminating introduction to Chinese poetry by Kiang Kang-hu.
Li Po, also known as Li Bai, was a renowned Chinese poet of the Tang Dynasty, born in 701, likely in Central Asia or Sichuan Province. He was a contemporary and friend of the poet Du Fu and is considered one of China’s greatest poets, celebrated for his clear imagery and lyrical style.
In the Quiet Night
So bright a gleam on the foot of my bed—
Could there have been a frost already?
Lifting myself to look, I found that it was moonlight.
Sinking back again, I thought suddenly of home.
Although Li Po was the author of 100,000 poems, he was not a person of note in a class-bound Confucian society and lived the wild poet’s life long before the Romantics. About 1,100 of his poems are still in existence.
Pages: 100
Book dimensions: 5.25 x 8 in
Pub date: May 22, 2025
978-1-965684-45-0 (paperback)
978-1-965684-46-7 (ebook)
