春夜宴從弟桃李園序(節錄)
天地者,萬物之逆旅;
光陰者,百代之過客。
而浮生若夢,為歡幾何?
古人秉燭夜游,良有以也。
況陽春召我以煙景,大塊假我以文章。
──選自《全唐詩》
Selected Poems by Li Bai
Spring Evening Feast with My Brothers at the Peach and Plum Garden (Excerpt)
Li Bai (701-762, Tang Dynasty)
English translation: Hsin-Yu Huang
The sky and the earth are the guesthouse of all things, and time is a traveler of all history. Life is but a dream, how much happiness can there ever be? Thus the ancients walked in the company of candlelight, and there are indeed reasons for it. Moreover, the warm spring summoned me with misty atmosphere, and the nature offered me inspiration for my writing.
— from Quan Tang Shi
(Complete Collection of Tang Poems)