The verse that follows is probably the best known Chinese poem. Li Po lived in the Eighth Century. How could I not think of him when I was standing alone at 5:30 this morning on a platform behind the dining area of The University of San Diego. I had gone there specifically to look at the moon in eclipse. Li Bai (known in the West by the transliteration of his name, Li Po) would definitely have been somewhere looking at the moon this morning if he were still alive today. Last night when I set my alarm clock so I could get up early to see the eclipse, I imagined I'd be sharing the platform overlooking Mission Bay with dozens of other people looking at the moon. It's a university after all, and aren't university people supposed to be intensely curious about everything? I was alone there, which was O.K. If Li Po had been with me, he would undoubtedly have brought wine, even at five o'clock in the morning. Li Po drowned after falling from his boat when he tried to embrace the reflection of the moon in the Yangtze River. How poetic is that!
Jing Ye Si (Quiet Night Thoughts)
Li Bai (701-760)

Chuang qian ming yue guang
Yi shi di shang shuang.

Ju tou wang ming yue,
Di tou si gu xiang.

Before my bed
There is bright-lit moonlight
So that it seems
Like frost on the ground:

Lifting my head
I watch the bright moon
Lowering my head
I dream that I'm home.