Here among flowers a single jug of wine, No close friends here, I pour alone And lift a cup to bright moon, ask it to join me, Then face my shadow and we become three. The moon never has known how to drink, All my shadow does is follow my body, But with moon and shadow as companions a while, This joy I find will surely last till spring. I sing, the moon just lingers on, I dance, and my shadow scatters wildly. When still sober we share friendship and pleasure, Then entirely drunk each goes his own way— Let us join in travels beyond human feelings And plan to meet far in the river of stars.

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "Here among flowers a single jug of wine, No close friends here, I pour alone And lift a cup to bright moon, ask it to join me, Then face my shadow and we become three. The moon never has known how to drink, All my shadow does is follow my body, But with moon and shadow as companions a while, This joy I find will surely last till spring. I sing, the moon just lingers on, I dance, and my shadow scatters wildly. When still sober we share friendship and pleasure, Then entirely drunk each goes his own way— Let us join in travels beyond human feelings And plan to meet far in the river of stars." in the context of "Li Bai, "Drinking Alone by Moonlight" (trans. Stephen Owen)" to mean that wisdom is timeless.