Li Bai: The Sword and the Wine Cup (Part 1)
A boy in Sichuan meets an old woman grinding an iron rod — and grows into the wildest poet of the Tang dynasty.
七零一年，李白出生了，那正是唐朝最好的时代。In 701, Li Bai was born — right at the height of the Tang dynasty's golden age.他小时候跟家人住在四川，从小就很聪明，看过的书很快就能记住。As a child he lived with his family in Sichuan; he was clever from an early age, and could quickly remember any book he read.
可是传说，小时候的李白很爱玩，不爱读书。But legend says that as a boy, Li Bai loved to play and hated to study.有一天，他逃学出去玩，在小河边看见一位老奶奶。One day he skipped school to go out and play, and by a small river he saw an old woman.
老奶奶拿着一根很粗的铁棒，在石头上磨啊磨。The old woman was holding a thick iron rod, grinding it and grinding it against a stone.李白觉得很奇怪，问：“奶奶，您在做什么？”Li Bai thought this was very strange and asked: "Grandma, what are you doing?"
老奶奶说：“我要把这根铁棒磨成一根针。只要天天磨，铁棒也能磨成针。”The old woman said: "I'm going to grind this iron rod into a needle. As long as you grind it every day, even an iron rod can become a needle."李白听了，脸一下子红了，从那天起，他认真读书，再也不逃学了。When Li Bai heard this, his face turned red. From that day on he studied hard and never skipped school again.
长大后的李白，不但诗写得好，还会用剑，喜欢喝酒交朋友。The grown-up Li Bai not only wrote wonderful poems — he could also use a sword, and he loved drinking wine and making friends.那时候，读书人都去长安考试，希望以后能当官。In those days, scholars all went to Chang'an to take the exams, hoping to become officials.
李白却不去考试，他说：“我的路，我自己走。”But Li Bai refused to take the exams. He said: "My road — I will walk it my own way."二十几岁时，他带着一把剑离开四川，去看外面的世界。In his twenties, he left Sichuan carrying a sword, to go see the wider world.
他走过高山大河，每到一个地方，就喝酒、写诗、交朋友。He crossed high mountains and great rivers, and everywhere he went, he drank wine, wrote poems, and made friends.他的诗越来越有名，人们说：“李白的诗好像不是人写的，是从天上来的。”His poems grew more and more famous. People said: "Li Bai's poems don't seem written by a man — they come from heaven."
四十多岁那年，一个大消息传来：皇帝听说了李白，请他去长安！The year he was in his early forties, big news arrived: the emperor had heard of Li Bai and was inviting him to Chang'an!李白大笑着走出家门，他想：我的机会终于来了。Li Bai laughed out loud as he walked out his door, thinking: my moment has finally come.
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