In 762, the great poet of the Tang Dynasty, Li Bai, whom we know, died suddenly, handed over his manuscript to Li Yangbing on his sickbed, and finally gave the "Dying Song" before he died. And although we often read Li Bai's various poems, we also basically understand his life, so what is the reason for Li Bai's death?
In his later years, Li Bai could be said to be poor and destitute, but fortunately, when Li Bai was young, he made many officials and gentlemen, and he was able to maintain his elegance throughout his life by relying on their help. In 757, Li Bai participated in the Yongwang's Eastern Tour and was convicted of exile for the imperial court party dispute.
In 759, Li Bai was pardoned by the imperial court, and his friend Liang Zaizhi invited Li Bai to jiangxia, Jinling and other places to revisit. In 761, Li Bai's life was already embarrassing, and he had to defect to his uncle Li Yangbing, who was a county commander. The cause of Li Bai's death has always been a mystery, and the three most important theories are: first, death from drunkenness; second, sudden death from drunkenness; and third, death due to illness.
First, drunken fishing for the moon
Li Bai, as a great talent of romanticism, can be said to be the most in line with his temperament, because Li Bai saw the moon in the water after getting drunk, so he thought of the scene of "not knowing the moon when he was young, calling it a white jade plate", jumping into the water to catch the moon and drowning. And this death method even Du Fu thought so, and also wrote poems as a memorial.
2. Sudden death from drunkenness
In the Old Book of Tang, it is recorded that "Bai died of excessive drinking and drunkenness in the Immortal City". As one of the Twenty-Four Histories, the Old Book of Tang has a certain degree of credibility in its records.
3. Illness and death
After Li Bai defected to his uncle Li Yangbing, Li Yangbing helped Li Bai compile his poems into ten volumes of the Caotang Collection and wrote the Preface. According to the records about Li Yangbing, Li Yangbing's statement about Li Bai's death was that he died of "putrid rib disease", that is, the "chronic chest and lung pus" in medicine, and alcohol poisoning caused by excessive drinking is also one of the main causes of the disease, so it is not too much to say that the death of the disease is placed on Li Bai.
Whether it is drowning in the moon, drunkenness, illness or death, the great romantic poet Li Bai has finally lived for thousands of generations, and his poems have been widely circulated in later generations. In short, no matter how Li Bai died, the cause of his death was actually inseparable from his life of alcoholism.