In progress · A new project

Drinking Poems of the Tang Dynasty

A bilingual anthology with reimagined English variations

Arriving Christmas 2026 618–907 AD Bilingual · 中英对照 Poetry

Over twelve hundred years ago, in the long Tang afternoon, poets gathered around wine and wrote to each other — about absent friends, distant children, mountains they had climbed, and the moon that watched over all of it. Their poems still feel close.

This book gathers forty of those poems in their original Mandarin, paired with a reference English translation and a new reimagined variation: an attempt to carry the voice across rather than the words.

What's inside

Eleven poets across three centuries. Forty poems, each presented three ways: the original characters, a faithful reference translation, and a contemporary English reimagining that tries to recover the music and intimacy of the source.

11Poets
40Poems
3Centuries

Table of contents

The anthology opens with Li Bai and Du Fu — the two giants of the era, and lifelong friends — and moves through nine further voices, from Wang Wei's quiet landscapes to Du Mu's late-Tang elegance.

李白 Li Bai 701–762
  1. 哭宣城善酿纪叟Elegy on Master Brewer Ji of Xuancheng
  2. 陪族叔刑部侍郎晔及中书贾On Lake Dongting (One of Five Poems)
  3. 与夏十二登岳阳楼Ascending the Tower of Yueyang with Xia the Twelfth
  4. 宣州谢脁楼饯别校书叔云Farewell to Uncle Yun at Xie Tiao's Pavilion in Xuanzhou
  5. 答王十二寒夜独酌有怀For Wang the Twelfth Who Drank Alone on a Cold Night
  6. 寄东鲁二稚子Written for My Children in East Lu
  7. 丁都护歌Song of the Tow-Men
  8. 沙丘城下寄杜甫To Du Fu from Sand Hill Town
  9. 鲁郡东石门送杜二甫Farewell to Du Fu at Stone Gate
  10. 秋日鲁郡尧祠亭上宴别杜补阙范侍御Farewell to Two Friends in Lu on an Autumn Day
  11. 把酒问月Reflections on the Moon While Drinking Sample
  12. 月下独酌Drinking Alone Under the Moon (One of Four Poems)
  13. 下终南山过斛斯山人宿置酒Descending Zhongnan Mountain and Meeting Husi the Hermit
  14. 南陵别儿童入京Parting from My Children at Nanling for the Capital
  15. 客中行Journeying
  16. 将进酒Invitation to Wine Sample
  17. 行路难（三首）Hard is the Way of the World (Three Poems)
  18. 金陵酒肆留别Parting at a Tavern in Jinling
  19. 杨叛儿A Love Song
杜甫 Du Fu 712–770
  1. 谒真谛寺禅师Visiting the Chan Master of Zhendi Temple
  2. 九日（五首选一首）Ninth Day
  3. 醉为马坠诸公携酒相看Drunk, I Fell off My Horse; Friends Came to See Me, Bringing Wine
  4. 宗武生日Zongwu's Birthday
  5. 闻官军收河南河北On Hearing that Government Forces Have Recovered Henan and Hebei
  6. 漫成二首（选一首）On the Spur of the Moment
  7. 绝句漫兴（九首选九首）Jueju Composed at Random
  8. 客至A Guest Arrives Sample
  9. 赠卫八处士Presented to Wei Ba, Gentleman in Retirement
  10. 赠高式颜Presented to Gao Shiyan
  11. 醉时歌（赠广文馆博士郑虔）Drunken Song — Written for Zheng Qian, Doctor of the Broad Learning Academy
  12. 春日忆李白On a Spring Day Thinking of Li Bai
  13. 夜宴左氏庄Evening Banquet at Mr. Zuo's Villa
  14. 小至Winter Solstice Eve
  15. 曲江（一）While Drinking at the Qujiang Waterway (I)
  16. 曲江（二）While Drinking at the Qujiang Waterway (II)
王维 Wang Wei 701–761
  1. 送元二使安西A Farewell Song
  2. 汉江临眺A View of the Han River
白居易 Bai Juyi 772–846
  1. 问刘十九An Invitation
杜牧 Du Mu 803–852
  1. 清明The Mourning Day · Tomb Sweeping Day
许廷鑅 Xu Tingzheng Tang dynasty
  1. 白菊To White Chrysanthemums
岑参 Cen Shen c. 715–770
  1. 白雪歌送武判官归京Song of White Snow in Farewell to Secretary Wu Going Back to the Capital
  2. 行军九日思长安故园Thinking of My Home in Chang'an While Traveling with the Army for Nine Days
贺知章 He Zhizhang 659–744
  1. 题袁氏别业On Mister Yuan's Country Retreat
李适之 Li Shizhi 694–747
  1. 罢相作Resigning as Minister
李峤 Li Qiao 645–714
  1. 长宁公主东庄待宴Attending a Banquet at Princess Changning's Eastern Estate
李涉 Li She fl. c. 830
  1. 登山Climbing a Mountain
王驾 Wang Jia 851–890
  1. 社日Festival Day