By Sim Wan Zhen (U1630879G)
Sweat dripping and heavy breaths
I walk and I walk and I walk
Confused, lonely and tired
What have I done this time
The unforgiving sun is glaring down at me
Yet, I do not have any shame left to face him
For guilt has engulfed me
O Heavens, forgive me one more time
Clutching xian jiu [1] in my palm
I finally reached my birthplace
The mountains [2] welcome me back with open arms
One last sip and off to dreamland I go
One, two, three, four
How many cloud horses [3] are there?
In the darkness, a soft glimmering moonlight glows
My lovely companion has come to visit
Holding my drink up in the air
With our senses and hearts aligned
We toast and we toast and we toast
Everything seems to fall into place again
(This is a re-imagination of the Monkey God story, in the style of Li Bai’s poetry. What would Li Bai write about the Monkey God in the socio-historical context of the Tang dynasty?
After finding out that he was deliberately excluded from the Royal Banquet, the Monkey God went hysterical. He slips into the banquet hall and douses himself with xian jiu. But unlike the popular legend, the Jade Emperor finds out at this moment and exiles him from the Heavens. In his drunken state, he tries to go back to the Mountain of Flowers and Fruits for refuge.)
Li Bai, On his way to Yelang for his exile, Tang Dynasty 758.ย
[1] ไป้ xian jiu (Heavenly Wine) is the wine consumed by the celestial beings in the Heavens.
[2] The Monkey God was born at the Mountains of the Flowers and Fruits.
[3] Prior to the havoc in heaven, the Monkey God sets the cloud horses free from their stables as he was upset for being designated as their care-taker.