Li Po

The Solitude of Night
By Li Po
Translated by Shigeyoshi Obata

It was at a wine party-
I lay in a drowse, knowing it not.
The blown flowers fell and filled by lap.
When I arose, still drunken,
The birds had all gone to their nests,
And there remained but few of my comrades.
I went along the river - alone in the moonlight


I think we have all been at wine parties such as the one outlined above. It starts off with all of us toasting each other, laughing and feeling grand about the world and the fact that we are together. Then when the alcohol seeps into our bloodstream and dulls our senses enough we all fall into a slumber except for one or two and we wake in the midst of people but very much alone. The alcohol is still in the system but no one else is awake. The birds are silent. The singing that would go on forever has stopped. The usual condition of all of us is to be alone.

Night time is a hard time for many of us because that is when it becomes apparent that we as human beings exists as individuals, not in groups. We are born alone and we die alone. We can drink alcohol, take drugs and do all sorts of things to remove that knowledge from the mind and heart but it is only temporary. The oneness returns as it always does. There is a choice. You can relish the solitude as many learn to do or you can run away to another wine party.