Invitation to Wine - Part I 将进酒

It has been some time since I was entertained to a formal dinner in China and things have changed. That night in Dongguan we were seated lucky eighteen to a large table, in one of many round tables. Even before the food arrived, the toasting began. And they were doing it with red wine in elegant wine glasses now.

There were one to one toast, many to one toast and all round toast. In the all round toast where the dinner guests were seated too far apart to clink glasses, we just clink the base of the glass to the large glass Lazy Susan in the centre of the table.

It was a good thing that only a little wine was poured each time but the rounds were endless. Waves and waves of toasting for every conceivable reasons. And it is considered good form to empty your cups. 感情深，一口闷; 感情浅，舔一舔 gǎnqíngshēn, yīkǒumēn; gǎnqíngqiǎn, tiǎnyītiǎn. “If our friendship is deep, drink to the bottom, if shallow, drink a little.” So it is difficult to turn down drinks when they were showing you their empty glasses.

As we unsteadily filed out from the restaurant after the bout to the lobby, there was a huge painting on the wall. It was a poem by the famous poet 李白 lǐbái. My boss paused before it and praised the poem drawing nods from all the ‘famous’ drinkers. This is the first part of the poem - 将进酒 jiāngjìnjiǔ and my translation (I’ll be happy to receive any comments including brickbats).

君不见黄河之水天上来, 奔流到海不复回。
jūn bùjiàn HuángHé zhī shuǐ tiānshàng lái, bēnliú dào hǎi bùfù huí。
君不见高堂明镜悲白发, 朝如青丝暮成雪。
jūn bùjiàn gāotáng míngjìng bēi báifà, zhāo rú qīngsī mù chéng xuě。
人生得意须尽欢, 莫使金樽空对月。
rénshēng déyì xū jìn huān, mò shǐ jīn zūn kōng duì yuè 。
天生我材必有用, 千金散尽还复来。
tiānshēng wǒ cái bì yǒuyòng, qiānjīn sàn jìn hái fù lái
烹羊宰牛且为乐, 会须一饮三百杯。
pēng yáng zǎi niú qiě wèi lè, huì xū yī yǐn sān bǎi bēi。
岑夫子,丹丘生, 将进酒,君莫停。
cén fūzǐ, dānqiū shēng, jiāngjìnjiǔ, jūn mò tíng。

Do you not see the yellow river descending from Heaven,
Rushing out to sea, never to return?
Do you not see in the hall’s mirror your sad white hair,
Silken black in the morning, snow white by night?
Life is to be enjoyed while it is good,
Tip not an empty cup to the moon.
The talent Heaven gifted should be used,
For what gold spent to return.
Cook a goat, slaughter a cow for a feast,
And drink up three hundred cups!
Master Cen, young Danqiu,
Bring in the wine, let it never stop.

(The second part of this poem will continue in the next post…)

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