See the waters of the Yellow River leap down from Heaven,
Roll away to the deep sea and never turn again!
See at the mirror in the High Hall, Aged men bewailing whit locks
In the morning, threads of silk, In the evening flakes o snow.
Snatch the joys of life as they come and use them to th fullest
Do not leave your gold cup idly glinting at the moon,
The things that Heaven made Man was meant to use.

 - Excerpt from “Chiang Chin Chiu,” by Li Pu
Li Pu, who lived and wrote during the T’ang Dynasty, is one of the grea masters of Chinese poetry. A prolific writer, he composed in a romantic, lyrica style, concerning the glories of this brief life: nature, love, friends,
solitude, and wine. He frequently mentions gold wine cups, presumably ver similar to this one, as symbols of both wine induced happiness and luxury.
Holding this cup in our hands, we are connected to the beauty of life Li P memorialized in his poetry. Although life is fleeting and beauty transient,
mankind alone is able to transcend the ravages of time by creating artisti works of eternal beauty. The poetry of Li Pu is one such example; this gold win cup is another. Both are distinct reflections of the culture and period in whic they were made. Both reveal a sense of joy and longing, for even as the wine cu is full, we know it will soon be empty. This gold wine cup is more than a example of the extravagant wealth of the T’ang Dynasty, it is an eterna symbol of love, friends, and happiness, all too fleeting, as elegantly describe in the works of Li Pu.