Ode to Wine
 


The bowl of wine in my hand has a long history.
The sky is blue like jade.
The blue-jade dragon roars in the sky.
The lightning flashes red,
And drizzle falls like sweet dew.
By using the clean sweet dew,
Heavenly nectar can be brewed in the human world.

Crops should be grown first for making wine.
The earth is like a golden basin,
Opening its bounty to the grain.
Crops spring from the golden basin,
And are harvested by the sickle in autumn.
Pien Nieu stand side by side ready to thresh grain,
Farming tools whisper through the air.
Shovels of white poplar winnow the harvest.
Chaff blows on the wind.
The winnowed kernels wait in the silo.
Barns and depots overflow with highland barley.

Everyone rejoices in the highland brew.
Colorful kitchen ranges appear,
Good bronze pots with auspicious knobs stand ready.
White towels clean the sweat from the pot.
Highland barley simmers in clear water
Over a roaring fire.
Spreading highland barley on the felt,
Mixing with essential distiller's yeast.
Four seasons are needed to make the wine for the New Year's Day.
Which is called Sweet Dew.
Wine made in one month is called Cold Sweet Dew.
Wine made in one day is called Whirling Sweet Dew).
......
Officials who drink it,
Will be more broad-minded than the sky.
The timid will become brave
After but one cup.
......
There are many advantages to drinking this wine,
Which our homeland is short of.
It is the imperial wine for kings;
It calms worried souls;
It brings happiness and dancing to common people.
......