In Bed

Tang Dynasty poet Bai Juyi was a man of great faith and determination, carefree and unbound. Even such a man would lament, "Tormented by headache and toothache, I've lain in bed for three days; my wife tends to the decoction while my maid helps me up. Today, I seem a little better and ask first if there's wine available next door?" When he grew old and lost two teeth, he even wrote a poem titled "Farewell to My Teeth." Many other ancient literati shared his plight, like Han Yu who in "Lost Tooth" wrote, "I lost one tooth last year, another this year. Suddenly, six or seven are gone, and the loss shows no sign of stopping." Xin Qiji wrote in "Prediction on Losing a Tooth," "The hard do not remain firm, the soft are difficult to crush. If you don't believe it, open your mouth and see: the tongue falls out before the teeth. Two gaps on either side, now a hole in the middle. I tell my children not to laugh at their old man; let them crawl through the dog hole." Southern Song Dynasty poet Lu You suffered from oral diseases for years. Among the over nine…