Selected Poems of Li Po

Li Po

Li Po (AD 701-762) and Tu Fu are traditionally celebrated as the two greatest poets in the Chinese canon. David Hinton's translation of Li Po's poetry is no less an achievement than his critically acclaimed "The Selected Poems of Tu Fu", also published by Anvil. Li Po's work is suffused with Taoism and Zen Buddhism, and the pure lyricism of his poems has awed readers in China and Japan for over a thousand years. Called "the Banished Immortal", Li Po was seen as an exiled spirit moving through this world with an unearthly ease and freedom from attachment.

David Hinton's versions reflect the ambiguity and density of Li Po's originals. They are compelling English poems that alter our conception of Chinese poetry.

About the Author

Li Po (701-762) wrote over 1,000 poems. He left home at 19 to live with a Taoist hermit. After some wanderings, a marriage and a brief spell as a T'ang court poet, he returned to a life of Taoist study and poetry. He was later imprisoned when a prince, in whose service he was, rebelled. This led to his banishment. According to legend, Li Po drowned while drunkenly leaning from a boat to embrace the moon's reflection.

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