The Banished Immortal
Li Bai (李白, 701-762 CE) is the most famous poet in Chinese history — a figure whose life was as legendary as his verse. Known as the "Banished Immortal" (谪仙人, a celestial being exiled to the mortal world), he embodied the Romantic ideal of the poet as inspired genius, unbound by convention.
Life
Origins (701-742)
- Born in Central Asia (possibly modern Kyrgyzstan) or Sichuan
- Family may have been merchants along the Silk Road
- Never sat for the imperial examinations (unusual for a poet of his stature)
- Spent his youth traveling, studying Daoism, and building his reputation
Imperial Fame (742-744)
- Summoned to the capital by Emperor Xuanzong
- Appointed to the Hanlin Academy (翰林院)
- Legend says he was so drunk at court that he had the powerful eunuch Gao Lishi remove his boots
- His genius and his behavior made him famous and unemployable simultaneously
- Dismissed after two years
Wandering Years (744-762)
- Traveled throughout China, writing prolifically
- Formed his famous friendship with Du Fu
- Became involved in a failed rebellion and was briefly imprisoned
- Pardoned and spent his final years wandering
Death (762)
- The legendary version: drowned reaching for the moon's reflection while drunk in a boat
- Historical version: probably died of illness, possibly related to mercury poisoning from Daoist elixirs
- Either way, his death became the most poetic death in Chinese literary history
His Poetry
Li Bai wrote approximately 1,000 surviving poems, covering:
- Nature: Mountains, rivers, moonlight — the Chinese landscape at its most sublime
- Wine: Drinking as philosophy, liberation, and connection to the cosmos
- Friendship: Farewell poems that ache with sincerity
- Freedom: The joy and cost of living outside convention
- Longing: Homesickness, exile, the passage of time
Legacy
Li Bai is:
- The most quoted poet in the Chinese language
- A symbol of creative genius worldwide
- Referenced in countless films, songs, and artworks
- The subject of the Chinese saying: "Li Bai fights a hundred poems with a jug of wine" (李白斗酒诗百篇)
- Proof that the greatest art often comes from those who refuse to fit in