[updated October 2022]
Song For Yuan Danqiu
元 丹 丘 歌
元 丹 丘，爱 神 仙。
朝 饮 颍 川 之 清 落
暮 还 嵩 岑 之 紫 烟。
三 十 六 峰 常 周 旋。
长 周 旋，蹑 星 虹。
身 骑 飞 龙 耳 生风。
横 河 跨 海 与 天 通
我 知 尔 游 心 天 穷。
Yuan Dan Qiu Ge
Yuan dan qiu, ai shen xian
Zhao yin ying chuan zhi qing luo.
Mu hai song cen zhi zi yan.
San shi liu feng chang zhou xuan.
Chang zhou xuan, nie xing hong
Shen qi fei long er sheng feng.
Heng he kua hai yu tian tong
Wo zhi er you xin wu qiong.
Song For Yuan Danqiu
Yuan Danqiu loves celestial beings
At dawn drinks from the clear flows of the Ying River.
Returns at sunset, purple and sacred mists within the mountains and hills
Thirty-six peaks circle all around.
Long time in their spiral, I follow the rainbows and stars
Riding upon a flying dragon, wind sounds in my ears.
Across the river, astride the ocean, connected to heaven
I know how to travel with heart-mind to the outer edge of Infinity.
Notes:
Yuan Danqiu: Good hometown friend and classmate
Commentary:
The last line comes from Zhuangzi who wanted to travel through the door that leads into Infinity. Li Bai has more than several poems where he flies into the heavens upon his imagination.