春夜宴桃李园序
Feasting in the Peach-plum Garden in Spring Night
[唐]李白
By Li Po
夫天地者，万物之逆旅；光阴者，百代之过客，而浮生若梦，为欢几何？古人秉烛夜游，良有以也。
The world is an inn for all creatures and time is a passing traveller of endless generations.^ The floaiing life is like a dream, and how brief the enjoyment is!Indeed, it was with good reason that the ancients made nocturnal excursions by bearing candic lights.
况阳春召我以烟景，大块假我以文章。会桃李之芳园，序天伦之乐事。群季俊秀，皆为惠连，吾人咏歌，独惭康乐。
It should be indeed more so with us now that the sunny spring invites me with vapoury scenes, the big earth provides me with such a beautiful picture.Here we gather in the beautiful garden of peach and plum, and enjoy fratemal love.You younger brothers are all men of refinement and elegancy like Hwai Lien, but amidst singing and chanting I myself feel ashamed to be compared with Kang Lo.
幽赏未已，高谈转清，开琼筵以坐花，飞羽觞而醉月不有佳作，何伸雅怀？如诗不成，罚依金谷酒数。
Before silent appreciation comes lo the end, our lofty chat turns to puretalk.The ambrosian banquet is served amid the flowers, and the flight of the winged goblet makes us drunk under the moon. Without fine poems how can our refined taste be satisfied?If anyone fails to produce a poem, let him he punished according to tlie rule of the Gold Valley Garden.