少年時代的白居易已經在家鄉小有”詩名”，在父親的鼓勵下他來到長安開始求學之路。為了得到大詩人顧況的指導，白居易費盡周折。他的謙虛和誠懇最終打動了顧況，他的詩文也得到了顧況的嘉許，白居易的名字從此在長安城中流傳開來。
Bai Ju Yi is a famous poet from long, long, ago. He is the author of 3,000 poems, with 800 or more other pieces of writing. He was the most talented poet in Tang Chao. He was intelligent and determined. In his childhood, there are too many fun stories to tell.
It was morning, and everyone heard the rooster call. A young boy threw a rock at the rooster’s head, as it toppled off its perch.
“Jeez, so noisy! Can you just shut up?” the boy went back inside, muttering. “What? He pulled an all-nighter again?”
“It’s worth it!” Bai Ju Yi stretched and yawned. ” I composed a poem.”
The boy came forward, and started reading it out loud.
“Erm, I don’t know this word..” he stammered.
Bai Ju Yi started reciting his memorized piece, and asked the boy for his opinion.
The boy wiped his nose, unsure of what to say.
Bau Ju Yi washed his face, and said, “We’re going to the village later.”
“What? But sir- we still haven’t found a teacher!”
“No, silly. If we don’t look in the village, how will we know which teacher is suitable?”
And to the village they went.
“Wow, Chang An Cheng is really big!”
Suddenly, the people parted as horses galloped down the street.
“Look! Right there! It’s Gu Kuang!” a man shouted.
Bai Ju Yi asked the man, “Who is this Gu Kuang?”
“What?” the man replied. “You don’t know who Gu Kuang is?”
Another man nearby chuckled, and said, “He is a famous poet! He was especially invited here to present his works.”
Bai Ju Yi was ecstatic. “I think we found the perfect teacher!” With that, he ran down the street, chasing after the carriage.
When they both stopped to catch their breath, a guard demanded, “What are you doing here?”
“My name is Bai Ju Yi, and I am here to ask Sir Gu Kuang to be my teacher.”
“This is Tai Shi Fu! There is no Gu Kuang! Go away, go away!”
“What is this?” the boy whined.
“I’m just going to wait until Gu Kuang comes out.”
“What?! But we’ve got to eat!”
So they ate.
“What would you like to eat?”
“Cow Noodle Soup, please.”
They engaged in conversation.
“We are here to find a teacher.”
“A teacher?” the old lady asked as another man overheard. “That is for people of knowledge and education. I don’t know anything about it. ”
The old lady kept babbling on.
Bai Ju Yi suddenly got up and thanked her for inspiring him with her words.
“Child, what are you talking about?”
“Today, you let me understand a huge moral.” he replied, turning on his heel. He started pacing. “I’ve always shown my poems to the people of education, never the villagers. From today on, I shall write poems for the villagers to understand!”
The man who overhead earlier came out and asked, “If I may, I would like to ask if your chasing Gu Kuang is for his teaching?”
“Yes. It’s too bad that I couldn’t find him.”
The other man told him of a place Gu Kuang was nearly all the time.
“Thank you, sir.” Bai Ju Yi said.
————–
“We’re here.”
They knocked on the door.
Bai Ju Yi handed the guard a letter.
“Go away! He’s not home right now.” the guard said.
” When is he coming back, then?”
The guard tried to close the door as the boy restrained him. “Be more respectful!” he shouted with rage.
Bai Ju Yi dragged him along. “It’s okay, okay. We’ll wait again for a little while.”
“Waiting again?!”
And so they waited. Bai Ju Yi saw the landscape. ” It’s beautiful.”
He started composing a poem.
“Ahh, this time I understand you.” the boy said.
Bai Ju Yi imagined the old woman at the restaurant.
“We don’t understand them. There are never people of education composing poems for us.”
“Yes. I have to memorize this poem.” Bai Ju Yi told the boy.
That night, the guard opened the door. “What? Still there?” he muttered.
The next morning, both were awakened by the sound of hoofbeats.
“He’s back! Gu Kuang is back!”
They chased after him.
“Sir! Please slow down!”
Gu Kuang turned around. “Hmm?”
Gu Kuang welcomed them inside, much to the protest of the guard.
The boy turned to the guard. “HMPH!”
Gu Kuang questioned Bai Ju Yi.
Bai Ju Yi handed him a book of his poems.
“Please, share your thoughts, sir.”
Gu Kuang read and started pacing.
“It’s a good poem!”
“I wish to let the villagers understand all my pieces.”
“Ahh, I used to think that the young would not have this talent. But you proved me wrong.”
“Thank you, sir!”
From that day on, Bai Ju Yi shared his poems with everyone, and he became famous.
THE END
Translated by Liana 8-7-12.
