Tipsy Tuesday: Wine: A Vindication
That’s right! This is the day! Tipsy Tuesday is back.
In last month’s edition of Tipsy Tuesday, we highlighted a poem by Chinese poet Li Qingzhao called Intoxicated Under the Shadow of Flowers and you all loved it! This week, I have yet another poetic masterpiece to share with you by yet another poet from the mid-Tang dynasty.
His name is Li Bai (born in 701 during the Golden Age of China) and in his poem, Wine: A Vindication, the reader can clearly see how much he loves what he calls the nectar of the gods. Being a wine lover, I can fully appreciate a writer who grasps the magic of the essence of wine and then takes that aura and translates the sensations into a kick ass poem like this one. Extra kudos for the historical value since this poem was written thousands of years ago.
When you’re done reading, then feel free to tell us what you thought in the comment section found below this post. Also, don’t forget to share this article with your wine-loving friends. We make it easy by posting the social media buttons at the bottom of each post. Happy Tipsy Tuesday!
Wine: A Vindication
A Poem by Li Bai
If heaven loved not the wine,
If heaven loved not the wine,
A Wine Star would not be in heaven;
If earth loved not the wine,
The Wine Spring would not be on the earth.
Since heaven and earth love the wine,
Need a tippling mortal be ashamed?
The transparent wine, I hear,
Has the soothing virtue of a sage,
While the turgid is rich, they say,
As the fertile mind of the wise.
Both the sage and the wise were drinkers,
Why seek for peers among gods and goblins?
Three cups open the grand door to bliss;
Take a jugful, the universe is yours.
Such is the rapture of the wine,
That the sober shall never inherit.
I love your blog, the posts, the quotes, the fashion and the wine of course! Thanks for sharing with everyone!
Nectar of the Gods is a very, very good way of putting it. I am hooked on this wine that I get with a meal at a restaurant nearby, too bad I cannot find it in stores!
If you are writing poems about something, you certainly are in love with it! Good point and what a nice poem!
Awesome poem. It was hard for me to think about this being written so long ago when wine seems so modern, these day.
Nectar of the Gods? I am going to use that next time someone asks what I am drinking 🙂
I love my wine! I also love to try new wine that I come across. What types of wine do you recommend to try?
I typically go after the boxed wine, lol. There is nothing wrong with it and I actually enjoy the taste, a lot. What a creative poem about something so delicious 🙂