Explication Essay of "Drink Alone with the Moon
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“Drinking Alone with the Moon” By Li Bo
Li Bo is considered to be one of the most influential poets of the Tang dynasty for being able to incorporate his Daoist ideals within his poetry. Li Bo’s poem, “Drinking Alone with the Moon”, describes the bond he creates with nature, a Daoist ideal. In this poem Li Bo is able to demonstrate how his bond with nature, in this case the moon and his shadow, can create harmony. The primary literary elements Li Bo uses throughout his poem are imagery, personification, and a joyful tone. These poetic elements each contribute to express the harmonious bond Li Bo creates with nature.
The imagery and personification used in this poem helps Li Bo evoke emotions such as harmony and peace within nature. Li Bo begins the poem with “A pot of wine among the flowers/ I drink alone, no friend with me” (Li Bo 1-2). Li Bo uses imagery at the start of his poem to establish a peaceful setting which in this case describes a man drinking alone in the moonlight. In the second line he also states his isolation from human ties which is quite uncommon since the Chinese are commonly known to be sociable drinkers. In the next lines Li Bo proceeds to use personification as he says “I raise my cup to invite the moon/ He and my shadow and I make three” (Li Bo 3-4). In these two lines Li Bo personifies the moon and his shadow which are shown to be his drinking companions. One could infer that Li Bo used these aspects of nature since they are always present no matter the circumstance.
The next stanza begins by saying “The moon does not know how to drink/ My shadow mines my capering” (Li Bo 4-5). In these lines what Li Bo is stating is quite evident although he uses personification to give the moon and his shadow a sense of companionship. In the next two lines he says “But I’ll make merry with them both/ And soon enough it will be spring” (Li Bo 6-8). In these two lines it describes how great of a time he is having with his...
Li Bo is considered to be one of the most influential poets of the Tang dynasty for being able to incorporate his Daoist ideals within his poetry. Li Bo’s poem, “Drinking Alone with the Moon”, describes the bond he creates with nature, a Daoist ideal. In this poem Li Bo is able to demonstrate how his bond with nature, in this case the moon and his shadow, can create harmony. The primary literary elements Li Bo uses throughout his poem are imagery, personification, and a joyful tone. These poetic elements each contribute to express the harmonious bond Li Bo creates with nature.
The imagery and personification used in this poem helps Li Bo evoke emotions such as harmony and peace within nature. Li Bo begins the poem with “A pot of wine among the flowers/ I drink alone, no friend with me” (Li Bo 1-2). Li Bo uses imagery at the start of his poem to establish a peaceful setting which in this case describes a man drinking alone in the moonlight. In the second line he also states his isolation from human ties which is quite uncommon since the Chinese are commonly known to be sociable drinkers. In the next lines Li Bo proceeds to use personification as he says “I raise my cup to invite the moon/ He and my shadow and I make three” (Li Bo 3-4). In these two lines Li Bo personifies the moon and his shadow which are shown to be his drinking companions. One could infer that Li Bo used these aspects of nature since they are always present no matter the circumstance.
The next stanza begins by saying “The moon does not know how to drink/ My shadow mines my capering” (Li Bo 4-5). In these lines what Li Bo is stating is quite evident although he uses personification to give the moon and his shadow a sense of companionship. In the next two lines he says “But I’ll make merry with them both/ And soon enough it will be spring” (Li Bo 6-8). In these two lines it describes how great of a time he is having with his...