Help needed with 余光中 《寻李白》 poem

[ximeng]

Hey there,

reading 《文化苦旅》， I am currently studying the section of 三峡. There I came upon a section with a poem of 余光中, in which he is referring to 李白

The title of the poem is 《寻李白》 followed by:

酒入豪肠，七分酿成了月光

剩下的三分啸成剑气

绣口一吐就半个盛唐

I really have a hard time understanding this piece of fine art, any help or explanation on this would come in handy. Any of you ever translated it?

Like said, any help on this would be highly appreciated.

Thanks a lot,

Simon

[skylee]

Since you are reading 余秋雨, I would assume that you can understand Chinese quite well.

Here is an analysis on the essay 三峽 -> http://tea.wfsh.tp.edu.tw/s-chinese/teacher10.htm

2、余光中尋李白，只引三句：「酒入豪腸，七分釀成了月光／剩下的三分嘯成劍氣／繡口一吐就半個盛唐」這三句也是用「反常而合道」的作法，酒入豪腸，能釀成月光，嘯成劍氣，一吐就半個盛唐，是反常的話，但又合乎道理，這是詩歌特色，亦詩趣所在。數字由「七」而「三」而「一」而「半」，層遞縮減，高妙而豪逸。

The way I see it - Li Bai was one of the greatest poets in Chinese history. His poems, written in Tang Dynasty, are still memorised / appreciated today (thus 繡口一吐就半個盛唐). Many of his poems are about the moon/moonlight, of which one is usually the first poem people learn, and it goes, "牀前明月光　疑是地上霜　舉頭望明月　低頭思故鄉" (thus 月光). His love for drinking is well known (thus 酒入豪腸). There are also stories about how he was good at using the sword (thus 劍氣). These are the ingredients of the lines quoted.

The whole poem was about the life and poems of Li Bai.

尋李白

——痛飲狂歌空度日

　　飛揚跋扈為誰雄

那一雙傲慢的靴子至今還落在

高力士羞憤的手裏，人，卻不見了

把滿地的難民和傷兵

把胡馬和羌馬交踐的節奏

留給杜二去細細地苦吟

自從那年賀知章眼花了

認你做謫仙，便更加佯狂

用一隻中了魔咒的小酒壺

把自己藏起，連太太都尋不到你

怨長安城小而壺中天長

在所有的詩裏你都預言

會突然水遁，或許就在明天

只扁舟破浪，亂髮當風

——而今，果然你失了蹤

樹敵如林，世人皆欲殺

肝硬化怎殺得死你？

酒入豪腸，七分釀成了月光

餘下的三分嘯成劍氣

繡口一吐就半個盛唐

從開元到天寶，從洛陽到咸陽

冠蓋滿途車騎的囂鬧

不及千年後你的一首

水晶絕句輕叩我額頭

噹地一彈挑起的回音

一貶世上已經夠落魄

再放夜郎毋乃太難堪

至今成謎是你的籍貫

隴西或山東，青蓮鄉或碎葉城

不如歸去歸哪個故鄉？

凡你醉處，你說過，皆非他鄉

失蹤，是天才唯一的下場

身後事，究竟你遁向何處？

猿啼不住，杜二也苦勸你不住

一回頭囚窗下竟已白頭

七仙，五友，都救不了你了

匡山給霧鎖了，無路可入

仍爐火未純青，就半粒丹砂

怎追躡葛洪袖裏的流霞？

樽中月影，或許那才是你的故鄉

常得你一生癡癡地仰望？

而無論出門向西笑，向西哭

長安都早已陷落

這二十四萬里的歸程

也不必驚動大鵬了，也無須招鶴

只消把酒杯向半空一扔

便旋成一隻霍霍的飛碟

詭綠的閃光愈轉愈快

接你回傳說裏去