Li Bo By: Gabrielle Chavez

Li Bo background Li Bo was born in 701 AD His exact location of birth is unknown, but it is believed to be in Central Asia He married the granddaughter of a former ruler in china, which introduced him to a “celebrity like” lifestyle He befriended the emperor, but when the war broke out, the emperor was removed from power Li Bo tried to seize power after that, but failed and was sentenced to death, but since he knew people of power, his death sentence was changed to exile In his mid-twenties, he began life as a wanderer as he set sail on Yangtze River After that, he continued his nomadic lifestyle

Famous poems In the Quiet Night Drinking Alone with the Moon Question and Answer in the Mountains Summer Day in the Mountains

Interpretation When he sees the moon, he thinks of home In the Quiet Night The floor before my bed is bright: Moonlight – like hoarfrost – in my room. I lift my head and watch the moon. I drop my head and think of home. When he sees the moon, he thinks of home Finds comfort in the moon Watching the moon keeps him calm and relaxed

From Poetic Words to a Picture Drinking alone with the moon A pot of wine among the flowers. I drink alone, no friend with me. I raise my cup to invite the moon. He and my shadow and I make three. The moon does not know how to drink; My shadow mimes my capering; But I’ll make merry with them both- And soon enough it will be Spring. I sing – the moon moves to and fro. I dance – my shadow leaps and sways. Still sober, we exchange our joys. Drunk – and we’ll go our separate ways. Let’s pledge – beyond human ties – to be friends, And meet where the Silver River ends.

From Poetic Words to a Picture Question and Answer in the Mountains They ask me why I live in the green mountains. I smile and don’t reply; my heart’s at ease. Peach blossoms flow downstream, leaving no trace- And there are other earths and skies than these. Summer Day in the Mountains Lazily waving a fan of white feathers, Stripped naked here in the green woods, I take off my headband, hang it on a cliff, My bare head splattered by wind through pines.

Why The sky is yellow because yellow is often associated with happiness, freshness, and warmth. The colors yellow, green, and blue occupy most of the picture because Li Bo referred to them a lot to describe different things in nature. I chose to have light shades of colors vs. darker shades to keep the picture from looking too serious. I wanted a more carefree, unrestricted picture. The girl in the picture looks like she is falling to show that she feels safe, comfortable, and has trust in nature. Added a lake/ river because Li Bo wrote a lot about different bodies of water in his poetry that I think represented things from a flow of life, to a representation of an obstacle.

Conclusion We relate to Li Bo’s poetry even in modern times because the main ideas in his poems deal with being alone and being in nature. His style of poetry makes you think about all things nature, yourself, and yourself in nature.