Analysis of a Poem

Analysis of a Poem

In this poem, the theme expressed is that of the loneliness of a man who is surrounded by nature, yet cannot share his feelings or life with anyone. From the very onset, the audience can deduce that the presence of Li Po is filled with frustration and loneliness. “A cup of wine, under the flowering trees; I drink alone, for no friend, is near.” The moments described in these lines must have been those when the speaker felt the solitude and loneliness of his life. However, it can also be deduced that isolation and solitude are self-inflicted. The poem also illuminates some aspects of Li Po’s life, mostly as a lover of wine. There is a period of his life when he went to parties and met celebrities, living in a carefree world. Such an aspect of his life can also be connected with his love for wine and being a heavy drinker (Li and Waley 98).

Analysis of the Poem

There is a lot of figurative languages used in the poem. As Mittal (53) and Gagliano, Andrea, et al. (32) explain, the most common and crucial form of figurative language comes when poets are comparing one aspect to another. In most poems, figurative language comes in the form of comparisons between metaphors, personification, and simile. These three have come out strongly in “Drinking Alone by the Moonlight,” as shall be explained and explored in the text.

Personification is often used by poets to give non-human objects and things to assume the traits and emotions of human beings. Such figurative language is used to make inanimate objects like a mirror perform actions and express their feelings. In this poem, Li Po uses personification on the moon and his shadow. The poem reads, “In the dance, I weave, my shadow tangles and breaks.” A shadow is an inanimate object. However, when the poet says the shadow is tangling and breaking, there is an element of personification that comes up. Described by other literary works as anthropomorphism, the personification used in the poem sheds more light on the subject under discussion or the themes being explored. In Li Po’s poem, anthropomorphism is seen to work in two different ways. The first way is showing how drinking wine can break down mental limitations and barriers, so that the speaker is realizing all that he shares (or have in common) with the moon and his shadow (Shanshan, Huang and Wang Feng 78). Secondly, the personification used to evoke some form of psychological understanding of the themes addressed herein. Just as the speaker is discussing solitude and being alone, the moon and his shadow, which are elements of nature, come up, as if they are friends with him (Shanshan, Huang and Wang Feng 78). The two nature elements join the speaker in his solitary drinking, which makes him less alone and having company. Just like friends drinking in a bar or a joint, the “three friends”- moon, the shadow, and the speaker, scatter into their directions. Such scattering into different directions also has an element of personification, which is often associated with patrons leaving their friends after a night out.

Metaphors are often used in literary works like poems to compare two things or events that likens one thing to the other. Poets use metaphors to help in explaining an idea or showing hidden similarities (Po, Li. et al. 29). The speaker says, Yet with the moon as friend and shadow as slave….” The moon and shadow are likened to the company of human beings, which makes the audience wonder for a moment why the speaker is raising his wine cup to the moon. He is imagining or wants the audience to understand that the company of the moon and his shadow are similar to having people drinking with him. From an insightful and critical analysis, the audience can also deduce something interesting about the situation the speaker finds himself trapped. He says, “listless; my shadow creeps about my side. Yet with the moon as friend and the shadow as a slave (Mittal 12).” It can be deduced that the shadow of the speaker represents the side of his behavior or character that is weaker and wants to be hidden from the world. The words “slave” and “listless” are used as they describe a person lacking energy, tiredness, and an individual helpless to his surroundings.

The choice of words used by the speaker can also be used to illuminate vital aspects of the life of the poet and the surroundings. He writes that being in the state of drunkenness does not imply happiness on his part. “While we were sober, three shared the fun; Now we are drunk, each goes his way….” He is referring to the moon, shadow, and himself moving in opposite directions after they have enjoyed their drinks together (Mittal 12). The word choice here symbolizes drunkenness as being a source of unhappiness and loneliness. Before they get drunk, the three ate together. The company is, however, broken when the drinking spree culminates. The audience can also imply that maybe the speaker is likely to get his happiness in death when he visits the Cloudy River of the sky. Again, the choice of words, in this case, demonstrates a man who is undergoing a period of depression and sadness. The sense of depression is seen when the speaker described the spring’s beauty and fallen flowers. The choice of words here, “fallen floors,” demonstrate a situation of hope and light turned into that of sadness and depression, which can be deduced from the poem (Po, Li. et al. 29). The poet mentions by saying, “who is sober can bear to see such beauty” that he must drink his wine to appreciate the beauty offered by nature.

Another significant imagery in the form of symbolism is wine being likened to pleasure. Drinking wine or any other kind of alcohol is often linked with happiness. The audience can understand this from the life of the poet and how wine is associated with the spiritual aspect of life. Drinking wine certainly has a pleasant effect on the speaker. Li Po, in the fifth stanza of his poem, talks about dancing and singing as the wine takes its effect. On the flip side, the next stanza introduces the bittersweet consequences of drinking. He is telling his audience that he is happy when sober and loses his three friends when drunk. The speaker’s praise of the wine, which he considers a source of pleasure, is combined with his satisfaction with the companionship and togetherness that he finds from his shadow and the moon. As the poem progresses, the benefit of wine comes out as not just its ability to give pleasure but through the fact that it allows people to see the world from a clear perspective. As a great poet and philosopher, the speaker finds his greatest happiness and pleasure in thinking about the world around him and contemplates its meaning. Wine is significantly symbolized and praised as a tool for reaching a heightened level of understanding.

Apart from being depicted as a tool for pleasure in the poem, wine is playing a massive role in uniting the different components of human experiences. Significant examples include instinct and emotion, heaven and earth and enlightenment, and wisdom (Rouzer, Paul, and Li Po 34). Early on in the stanza, Li Po claims that wine has been approved both on earth and in heaven, implying that both the spiritual and physical aspects of an individual enjoy wine.

For the audience, the poem is describing the single and lonely thoughts of an individual who seems to have given up on people and the things of the earth. The sad and depressive tone can be deduced. He seems to be drinking to suppress the loneliness of his existence and the several unanswered questions of life (Rouzer, Paul, and Li Po 46). The speaker is drinking to numb his feelings and escape his misery.

Conclusion

Li Po’s “Drinking Alone by the Moonlight” celebrates nature (particularly spring) and points to the life of a man who drinks wine in a state of loneliness and solitude while also achieving some levels of spiritual awareness. Li Po was much notorious for his heavy drinking of wine. He heralds such consumption as a creative inspiration for all of his artistic endeavors. The readers of the poem are taken through a series of claims and explanations that seem to favor wine. It is given divine qualities and is blessed by the earth and the heavens. The English version of this poem features engaging figurative language and playful couplets that portray wine as a miraculous drink that gives the drinker enjoyment and great company (Wang 19).

However, insightful and keen readers may also notice where the joy of the speaker could be portrayed as an indication of excessive drinking and some aspect of loneliness. The audience towards the end is left wondering whether drinking wine serves as a metaphor for living life to the fullest, beyond the limits and confines of strict doctrine, or whether the poet is simultaneously admonishing and praising his habit. In the end, the poem takes the audience on a journey from the physical to the spiritual, in the process, incorporating the themes of mental understanding, loneliness, and joy. The audience can then consider how they relate and understand these thematic areas.