Yuan Dynasty
拨不断·酒杯深（一）
马致远
酒杯深，故人心，
相逢且莫推辞饮。
君若歌时我慢斟，
屈原清死由他恁。
醉和醒争甚？
Translation
Fill the cup deep, as deep as an old friend’s heart. Since we have met, do not refuse the drink. If you sing, I will pour slowly. Qu Yuan died in purity—let him have his way. What is there to argue between drunkenness and sobriety?
Analysis
The song appears to celebrate drinking, but its deeper concern is the tension between moral clarity and survival in a troubled world. Qu Yuan represents uncompromising purity. Ma Zhiyuan does not mock him; rather, he asks whether every person must choose the same path. The meeting of friends and the shared cup become a fragile but genuine refuge. The final question—why argue over drunkenness and sobriety—expresses both freedom and exhaustion. It is a worldly answer to an unworldly ideal.