Li Bai: loose translations
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I dreamed I was standing on Tianmu Mountain and could see across the sea farther than the islands of Japan that seafarers say are hidden in salty mists. They say this mountain stretches across the sky and its shadow covers all of China. The queen of heaven descends from her peak surrounded by bears and dragons. You can hear them roar in the waterfalls and see her skirts in the rainbows where the water crashes on the rocks. I dreamed I climbed a ladder of cloud across the shadow of the moon. I floated on its reflection in a lake. Turning, I was covered in flowers. A rock wall rose before me. Suddenly the door of a cave opened and the king of heaven rushed out with a phoenix pulling his chariot, a tiger playing a harp, and immortals standing like tall grass. When I woke up, my pillows were damp and images of immortality were fading in the folds of my sheets. When each day brings forgetfulness, the wisdom of the past evaporates like dew. How many months before I see you again? Memories of pleasures never last. We need to follow deer up to the mountain, and not waste our time like the worms that serve the dishonest and wealthy.