Putao meijiu yeguangbei. To appreciate Wang Han’s famous poem it really is best to hear it in the mother tongue.

葡萄美酒夜光杯， Ahh, Fine wine in the night sky.

欲饮琵琶马上催。 I’d love a drink with you, but the pipa player orders me to go.

醉卧沙场君莫笑， If we’re falling down drunk on the battlefield don’t laugh.

古来征战几人回? Since ancient times how many men return from war?

This poem really shines when read in the original language. To me it conjures images of a soldier’s fleeting life on the battlefield. With stoic resignation the soldier drinks up to steel himself for the battles to come while enjoying life while it lasts.

涼州詞 王翰 Liángzhōu Cí by Wang Han. Tang dynasty poet East Asia Student Random Stuff Related to East Asia