The Complete Poems of Li Yu (937-978)
Translated by Christopher Kelen
1
lovesick
her hair
mauve cloud
coiled bun
jade pinned
gossamer
pale
frowning brows
she wears
autumn wind on
drizzle out doors
plantain trees tall
too long night
out there
2
lovesickeness
faroff mountains
layered away
mist on the lake’s
chill surface
leaves on the maple
crimson the heart
chrysanthemums bloom
and are gone
ganders stay
until their wings take them
past curtains
merest breeze, just the moon
3
spring in the jade pavilion
evening makes up
snow white faces
a file of young beauties
in the Spring palace
reed pipes, bamboo flutes
float on the air
who sprinkles the fragrance
into this breeze? Drunkenly
knocking at rails I’m steeped
in sentiments no light admits
therefore the candles stay unlit
clip clop of the moonlight
brings me home
4
song of the water clock at night
gold pin
rosy cheeks
a rendezvous
just heaven knew
fragrant wick
and weeping candle
a picture of our moods
tears moisten the embroidered pillow
blanket cold as night is deep
the water clock falls still
5
dream of Spring
over the strings the fingers
over the reed pipe breath
through the frosty bamboo
these purer than words
glance sidelong of the lovers parting
the house inside the rain
the banquet in the house
in Spring a dream
and yearning lingers
music brings me
winter’s dream –
Spring
6
tryst
gorgeous flowers
dim moonlight
thin mist
a stockinged tiptoe
to their tryst
he, in the south end
of the Painting Hall
she, into his arms
come trembling
how troublesome to meet
in shadows
how tender the moment
of hearts lit within
7
first of Spring
first of Spring
for pleasure
what floats in a cup of wine?
petals
unfolding
the flower
let us not whisper
of withering
it’s Spring – let’s drink to it
you beat the drum
I’ll bring the brush and ink
8
a fisherman
1
waves roll into snow
mute peaches make Spring
a pot of wine
a fishing pole
a mist
my vanishing
2
one oar
one boat
one line
one hook
flowers all over the isle
wine
a full vessel
then
let me be
following
breeze
let me be
mist
and
vanishing
9
insects fond of flowers
I rambled by the riverside
mourning last of Spring
dark winds drowned the drizzle
and the lamps of Qing Ming
a night wrecked?
I won’t say so
the fat lady may sing
peaches and plums
whisper with laughter
moon in its cloud
comes to bed after
10
Spring met in mist
shy to meet Spring
now that youth’s passed
I was as shy before
bygones have gone by
grass grown over flowers
mist lies deep over all
11
beating clothes
sleepless in unending night
the empty hall falls to echoes
through a bamboo curtain
hear winter’s chill
not a frog sounds
but the mind won’t be still
another, sleepless
rises early
wakes the house
does to his clothes
what she dare not
do to the man
12
waking from a night alone
hair messy
make-up faded
brows frown like the far-away peaks
against the balustrade
delicate fingers
and touching the cheeks
how far tears fall
13
waking for a piss in the early hours
the palace sleeps
I put on a gown
for the moonlight
stood among the chill bamboo
here’s me – miniature landscape
waterfall of my own making
eyes high in the forest of leaves
seek a star
14
love lost and passion enduring
I cannot see the girl with the flute
but I know how it is to lie in her arms
flowers bow and lift their heads
in fits the scent of her skin comes to me
twilight in the jewelled glass
willows cast shadows night won’t dispel
it is a cruel breeze brings her to me
our moment in mind’s bubble yet
15
hung over
cherry blossoms strew the yard
an ivory bed cast in moonlight
hair loosed lustreless
bitterest yearning
tears fall on scant garments of love
so many papers to sign
16
after one of those endless imperial parties
the guests went home
the painted hall still hung
with its breezes
all the long night
Spring still
one girl waits in the attic
dozing when she’s not required
mirror and make-up both at the ready
still tipsy when the first birds wake her
when comes the whistling
of workmen outside
17
footsteps of Spring
the footsteps of Spring
are falling away
the long night of blossoms
endures through your sleep
I stayed awake
to outstare this spray
of cherries, to wait
for the light,
for your waking
for withering day
18
first intimation of winter
autumn too wearies
steps come crimson strewn
herbs from the high hills
fill up the temple
the Double Ninth arrives
and in the yard’s doorway
where kitchen smoke
contends with drizzle
chrysanthemum
wild geese fly by
only their lament
deathless, unchanging
19
ennui of Spring
jade pendants dishevelled
make-up marred, messy bun
I hold the stairs up leaning
just me and the scenery
two shadows lament
an easterly wind over the river runs
sun devouring the crests left of hills
Spring’s ennui – all fallen flowers
I wander in among reeds sounding
I can’t go on drinking like this
20
mourning for the season passed
every petal’s fallen
Spring’s once firm footing’s lost
those butterflies made pretty pairs
a cliché now and spent
the birds who sang
as smoke dispersed
faraway
from hazy grasslands
the traveler into sun and drought
casts a fond eye back
21
our forty years
our forty years
of rivers and mountains
the dragon’s tower
the phoenix in the attic
came down after
a chat up there
in the mist
trees of emerald
once the immortals
were with us alive
I was ignorant
of war
made a better
exile than king
look how thin
how grey
my words now
are you moved?
no court ladies cry
these thousand years since
but a ghost can still
taste his poison
22
the season half gone
Spring parts from itself
in the time since we’ve parted
the falling plum blossoms
come whirling like snow
I brush them away
but I’m covered again
wild geese bring me no tidings
parting is like the rich Spring grass
even in dreams
my country too far
23
longing for the south
it’s an idle dream
grass, flowers thrive
the south is far
but the whole country
can hear the orchestra
choke in the dust
of dreamers
in their carriages
come out to view
flowers of Spring
24
the south – late autumn
in its dream
cold shrouds the mountains, rivers
a lonely rowboat
anchors in reeds
whistling from the tower’s top
to lure the moon along
25
longing for the southern Spring
the carriages run like water there
in the imperial garden
horses are like dragons there
the flowers and moon of Spring
26
o my tears
when weeping
stay away from
the phoenix’ flute
it’s a sure route
to a broken heart
27
no return
silent
I climb the western tower
the moon comes
like a hook
parasol trees
in the deep courtyard
where clear autumn
is kept
no cutting
the ravelled knot
of parting
holds my soul
always
28
moonlight tortures the exile’s soul
unbearable
recalling one’s country
when the moon is full
and ways are lit
then one might
travel the long chill night
to find
jade balustrades
carved halls
still stand
but the rosy visage
of a childhood
shared?
spring flowers
and autumn moon
return
but never
the ones we knew
29
the unwilling guest
beyond the curtain of the rain
Spring hastens its steps departing
silk quilt too warm now summer’s come
the soul in its icy dawn remains
as in a dream
eyes newly old
scan boundless lands
no longer mine
from this balcony
so far from heaven
30
in my dream
life was never
proof against woe
my soul is gnawed
with unwept tears
in my dream
I return to my country
not to war
not to rule
not to be king again
will you mount
to the tower
with me
just this once more?
there never was finer
than this autumn day
31
after evening make-up
soon after
the evening make-up
some rouge smeared
tip of the tongue unfolds
her mouth like a cherry
nearly silently chanting
gentlest of songs
crimson prints left
to the cup’s rim,
splashes of wine
redden her sleeve,
this heavenly nymph
lounges against
the embroidered bed
she chews a red thread
and coyly spits it in
her lover’s direction
32
in winter’s depth
sun high in the sky
but on earth we’re still frozen
I add to the brazier
carbon shaped like a beast
dance steps have wrinkled
the red brocade mat
anything to keep warm
I bend to pick up gold pins
I’ve dropped. I take a flower
and sniff. Music of bamboo
from palaces elsewhere
the beast in the fire is ash
33
beauty waking
on the fairies’ hill
a painted hall
and in it
beauty sleeps
and in it
silence
is a kind
of speech
clouds of hair
on a pillow like cloud
embroidered cloth
steeped in scent
I sneak in
but she wakes
from the dream
from behind
the silver and gilt
of the screen
smile of the eyes
takes me in
34
orioles depart with joy
daybreak
and the twilight sloughs
clouds dissolve in sunshine
wake from a dream
of fragrant grass
the wild geese scattered
as their cries
the chanting orioles disperse
last petals fall like rain
a desolation in the painted hall
waiting for her return
35
fragment:
flowers in the backyard
rare trees grow behind the house
and finer foliage by the mirror
I’ve placed there…
…flowers bloom as years before
the moon as round as ever
the air rings green with light
the voice is vanishing
36
picking mulberries
1
red flowers by the temple
all faded to dust
where are the light steps
of Spring?
frowning brows
and free flowing locks
loneliness has its boudoir
waits for the incense ash to drop
what is unbearable must be borne
she sleeps on a stone pillow of facts
reckless he comes
into her dreams
37
picking mulberries
2
evening envelops
pulley tackle, gold well, parasol trees
autumn breeze startles
the trees from their doze
old rain with new grief
over the hook
the bamboo screen hitched
beside the jade window
she sits frowning
on the far frontier
if only a carp
would carry him
her missive
if only the river
would wind upstream
38
crows crying at night
1
last night the wind
blew with the rain
autumn came moaning
through curtains
candles wept
the water clock grew weary
tossing about on the pillow
I rose and couldn’t sleep again
mundane affairs
float away with the stream
how, without wine
could we live?
39
crows crying at night
2
spring flowers floated
away too soon
too soon the Spring
has fled
cold rain at sunrise
chill wind in the twilight
rouged tears
and my drunken state
when will we two meet again?
life is a river run east
always east
Spring always
gone too soon
40
past dusk in the attic
candles have burnt out
one by one
fallen weeds won’t rest
in a dream
I followed footprints
back to the far distant past
the faces were horrible there
in a pavilion beside the river
I watch the ever onward tide
dusk in the attic
twilight among shaded flowers
my soul climbs the mountain
tears fall for my country
so far away
the past is much nearer
41
green of Spring
the wind returns
casts new green on the grass
willows shoot with the coming of Spring
I lean on the balustrade wordless with longing
bamboo and new moon just as in spent days
tune of the reed pipes yet
fine wine still in these cups
now the surface of the pond starts to thaw
bright the candles and giddy the incense
frost like hair on my temples drips
green of Spring
42
sand of the silk-washing stream
moss grows over this wind
autumn steps down to the river
the jade curtain hangs
gold swords have been buried
ambition is done
a moon blooms over attic
and palace
how dreary the shadows
the river casts in
43
willows in Spring
soft spring rain
through the curtains of willow
ticktock of the water clock
wounding that night
startling wild geese
crows on the gate tower
the lady in her lonely bed
starting too
a fragrant mist
thin glimmer of the candle’s last
here comes the hero
from the embroidery
dazzled by life
unwittingly he slips
into my dream
I hold him till
we have spent
the whole night
Li Yu was the last emperor of the Southern Tang and much better at
poetry and painting than he was at running an empire. In this blog I draft
responses to Li Yu's poetry developed from English glosses of the Chinese text
created by Petra Seak. Some of these may be considered variations or
adaptations, some may be considered collaborative translations. Classifying the
work this way and finding destinations for it will happen at a later stage.
Macau
Christopher (Kit) Kelen is an Australian writer and visual artist.
Volumes of his poetry have been published in Chinese, Portuguese, Spanish,
French, Italian, Swedish, Indonesian and Filipino. The most recent of Kit
Kelen's dozen English language poetry books are China Years – New and Selected
Poems (ASM/Flying Islands) and Scavenger’s Season (Puncher and Wattmann). His
next collection Poor Man's Coat - Hardanger poems in being published by University
of Western Australia Press in 2018. Kelen is Emeritus Professor of English at
the University of Macau in south China, where he taught Literature and Creative
Writing for many years.
Li Yü found his domain whittled down
to nothing and then became a prisoner who was forced to drink the poisoned cup.
But written in tears and blood, his verses have given him a place among the
immortals. Li Yü was born August 15, 937, the auspicious year in which
his grandfather Li P'ien founded Southern rang State and ascended the throne
(937-954). It is strange but true that he was the same age as the state which
he came to rule and which met its end while he was on the throne.
Southern rang was surrounded
from the outset by ambitious and much more powerful neighbors. It grew rich
under the first monarch, Li p'ien, whose ministers suggested he try to extend
the frontiers. Li P'ien, who was kind-hearted and peace-loving, is said to have
replied: "I have been in the army ever since my adolescence. Knowing that
war is the root of all evil, how can I bear to resort to it and make my people
suffer for my ambition? I want my subjects as well as those of the other states
to live in peace."
Li P'ien not only avoided
warring against his neighbors but even on his deathbed is said to have
counseled his son Li Chin in these words: "In the Palace of Great Virtue,
there lies in store a great deal of gold, silk and munitions. Try to preserve
the established kingdom and be friendly with neighboring states in order to
live in peace. I have tried to attain longevity by swallowing pills prescribed
by Buddhist monks, yet I am breathing my last. When I shall have passed away,
if there is fighting in the north, do not forget my words."
Li Chin was a mediocre
military leader, statesman and administrator. He followed in his father's footsteps
and continued to consider himself a vassal of the Later Chou and to pay annual
tribute. When asked by his ministers why military affairs had been at a stand-still
for more than 10 years, he answered that weapons need not be resorted to for
even a lifetime. Forces of the Later Chou (951-960) stationed
in Yangchow attacked Southern rang in 956. Li Chin lost all his
territories north of the Yangtze River, concluded peace with the invaders,
gave up the title of emperor and adopted the Later Chou calendar.
In 961, Li Yü became crown
prince. He remained in Nanking when his father moved the capital to Nanch'ang
in Kiangsi so as to avoid the enemy facing him on the opposite bank
of the Yangtze. Li Chin died in the late summer of 961. Li Yü, the
monarch-poet, then re-established the capital at Nanking.
From a literary point of view,
Li Yü began life under favorable circumstances. Historians said he showed signs
of genius from early childhood. One of his eyes had a double pupil, long
believed by the Chinese to be a symbol of intelligence. Moreover, he was
good-looking, with fine features, full cheeks and a wide forehead. He also had
the good fortune to be born in a "family smelling of the perfume of
books." as the Chinese saying goes. The following Tz'u indicates
that Li Yü 's father, though a mediocre ruler, was a remarkable poet.
Modeled on "A New Version
of Washing Brook Sand"
Gone is the perfume of the
lotus flowers, withered are their leaves of emerald.
From the green waves, melancholy rises with the west wind.
I cannot bear to contemplate the autumn scene,
As haggard and worn as the season.
When I wake from dreaming afar, the rain drizzles,
In the small pavilion, the pipes of jade remain chilly, despite my blowing.
In tears, full of regret,
I lean against the balustrade.
From the green waves, melancholy rises with the west wind.
I cannot bear to contemplate the autumn scene,
As haggard and worn as the season.
When I wake from dreaming afar, the rain drizzles,
In the small pavilion, the pipes of jade remain chilly, despite my blowing.
In tears, full of regret,
I lean against the balustrade.
This Tz'u is
like a lotus flower in a limpid pool, natural and fresh, with neither artifice
nor make-up.
Li Yü grew up in the company
of two brothers who were also carefully educated. At 18 he married the
beautiful and talented Ngo Huang. She was a year older, excelled in singing,
dancing and playing the guitar, composed and was a writer. She composed a
famous melody, "Invitation to the Dance of Tipsiness" and revived the
lost "Melody of the Rainbow-Colored Robe" written during the Tang
dynasty. She was in delicate health, however, suffered from insomnia and died
at 29. Li was a devoted husband. He tasted her medicine, watched over
preparation of her meals and spent many sleepless nights at her bedside.
Ngo Huang's sister, Nü Ying,
came to live in the palace without announcement. Surprised to find the sister
at her bedside, Ngo Huang asked when she had come. Nü Ying answered that she
had arrived several days before. Ngo Huang was angry and turned her face to the
wall. Ngo Huang never looked upon her sister again. Before death, she gave her
husband her guitar, which had been a present from her father-in-law, and a pair
of jade bracelets. Li Yü wrote a funeral oration of several thousand words and
buried it and the guitar with his wife.
After four years of mourning,
Li married his sister-in-law, Nü Ying, whom he had loved during his wife's
illness and who surpassed her in beauty and talent.
Li Yü loved his second wife
more than his first and built an elegant pavilion for her in a flower garden.
It was big enough for only two. There he drank wine in the company of his
beloved queen, who was said by the historian Ma Ling to have been extremely
jealous and to have had many concubines put to death. Among Li Yü's court
ladies known through historical reference are Huang Pao-yi, who was in charge
of the preservation of books and calligraphy; Liu Chu, a clever girl who
excelled in playing the guitar and the only one to play from memory the
melodies of Ngo Huang; Ch'in Nu, on whose yellow silk fan was inscribed a poem
written by Li Yü entitled "Willow Twigs;" Hsüeh Chiu, who excelled in
singing; Yiao Niang, an incomparable dancer for whom Li invented the
ballet-like lotus dance; Ch'iu Shui, who loved to adorn her hair with strange
flowers that attracted butterflies; and Flower Bud Junior, a court lady who
excelled in verse writing as had Lady Flower Bud, wife of a Shu emperor, for
whom she was named.
Li Yü loved perfumery. He
lived in the Palace of Eternal Autumn and Queen Ngo Huang
in the Palace of Tender Virtue. A court lady was assigned to the
burning of incense in containers with such names as Lotus Flower, Triple
Cloud, Phoenix with Crooked Back and Lion. Five aromatics were
crushed into a powder to which was added the juice of 10 pears. The mixture was
placed in a silver container and heated. When the juice had vaporized, the
powder was wafted inside the bed curtains of the king.
Li Yü loved perfumery. He
lived in the Palace of ly his territory was reduced to a tiny area on the south
bank of the Yangtze River. He tried to appease his enemy by paying tribute
while living in a majestic palace fretted with gold and escaping into oblivion
with the help of wine, poetry and love. It is necessary to study his character
to understand his writing.
Li was romantic, sensitive,
artistic, kind-hearted and unrealistic. He was a born poet and artist and also
of the royal family. Life was a road strewn with flowers and the world a lovely
garden. He surrounded himself with beautiful objects, charming faces, graceful
gestures, sweet sounds and fragrant odors. He dreamed of living in peace,
prosperity and comfort. Even If the country had been powerful, he could not
have resorted to arms. A pious Buddhist, he was reluctant to punish and execute.
In addition to annual tribute.
he presented gifts 10 the Sung court as often as possible. Every Sung envoy to
the Southern Tang court was honored with endless feasting. He hoped to appease
the ambitious and dangerous enemy with kindness and generosity but did nothing
to fortify his kingdom. The shadow of the enemy hung over him like a sword but
he was too weak to act. His constant fear took seed in his spiritual soil,
grew, budded and finally produced beautiful flowers of suffering in his poems.
He was not only a remarkable
poet but a painter of no small capacity who excelled in drawing bamboos and
birds. He was skilled in calligraphy and wrote critical essays on the subject.
His prose resulted in a hundred essays, none of which has been preserved, and
he was a good musician.
As a prince, he established
the Bureau of Literature. After ascending the throne, he assembled outstanding
scholars in the Pavilion of Purified Heart, much as Louis XIV did
at Versailles.
Southern Tang was a vassal
state of Sung but enjoyed comparative peace and prosperity for a period of 40
years with a policy based on compromise. Li led his life of hedonism
in Nanking. The Ch'in Huai River was the center of his recreation. [n the
spring, when the banks of the Ch'in Huai were covered with drooping willows and
flowering peach trees, he and Ngo Huang, together with courtiers, court ladies
and musicians, went out in a two-decked boat while oarsmen kept time to the
music of an orchestra. In autumn, when the banks were covered with reeds, Li
sailed in solitary splendor as the sound of flutes floated indistinctly from
afar.
Interior decorations of the
palace walls took the form of red silk tapestries embroidered with gold thread
set off by platinum. It was said that no candles burned in Us palace and that
the hall was lighted by an enormous pearl. One of his court ladies married a
general of Southern Tang. She always covered her nose when her husband lit a
lamp or a candle because she couldn't bear the smell.
Li was a ladies' man. He surrounded
himself with court ladies and showed them affection. For Ch'in Nu, one of his
favorites, he wrote the following poem on a yellow silk fan:
Willow Twigs
Gradually aging, I'm ashamed
to face the spring.
Wherever I go, flowers remind me of my former love trysts.
The long willow twigs seem to recognize me
And bend their misty tips over my head.
Wherever I go, flowers remind me of my former love trysts.
The long willow twigs seem to recognize me
And bend their misty tips over my head.
For Yiao Niang, the
incomparable dancer, he is said to have invented the Golden Lotus Dance. A
golden lotus six feet high was decorated with precious stones and fine silk
ribbons and placed in the middle of a pond. Yiao Niang bound her feet with
white' silk and wore slippers resembling the ballet shoes of today. This
unfortunately led to foot-binding, although such was not Li Yü's intent.
About the dance, T'ang Kao, a
Southern T'ang poet, wrote the following satiric poem:
The belle of Ginling well
deserves her fame.
A lotus in the pond, a fairy on the water.
Ignoring the idea of rejoicing with the people,
The king contemplates the golden lotus in his palace.
A lotus in the pond, a fairy on the water.
Ignoring the idea of rejoicing with the people,
The king contemplates the golden lotus in his palace.
The fame of the Golden Lotus
Dance led Emperor Tai Tsu of the Sung dynasty to ask for Yiao Niang as part of
the annual tribute. Li Yü was reluctant but Sung had just annihilated South Han
and Li was frightened. He gave up the title of Southern Tang and called himself
chief of KiangnanState. Yiao Niang was sent north, accompanied by Prince
of Cheng, the seventh brother of Li. When the Prince of Cheng had been away a
year in the Sung court without any news of his return, Li sent him the
following poem, which really was meant for Yiao Niang:
The east wind blows on the
water, the mountains swallow the sun.
Idle have I been all this spring.
The fallen petals are strewn, the drinking vessels lie scattered,
I still hear pipes and songs through my drowsy drunkenness.
She awakes from her spring sleep,
Her nocturnal make-up is faded.
There is nobody to adjust her coiffure.
Regretting the passing hours and her passing youth,
Alone in the dusk she leans against the balustrade.
Idle have I been all this spring.
The fallen petals are strewn, the drinking vessels lie scattered,
I still hear pipes and songs through my drowsy drunkenness.
She awakes from her spring sleep,
Her nocturnal make-up is faded.
There is nobody to adjust her coiffure.
Regretting the passing hours and her passing youth,
Alone in the dusk she leans against the balustrade.
Queen Ngo Huang was an
accomplished artist and Li Yü loved her deeply. This is one of his poems to
her:
Modeled on "A Peck of
Pearls"
Having finished her nocturnal
make-up,
She puts some aromatic powder into her mouth,
Slightly showing her tiny, lilac-bud-like tongue tip.
A melodious song forces the cherry to break.
Melted by perfumed wine,
Her lipstick stains the cup and her silk sleeves.
Leaning against the silk-covered couch, unbearably coquettish,
Smiling, she ejects into the face of Lord Tan the red silk thread she chews.
According to Hung Ch'u, a perfume specialist of Sung, six spices were mixed, crushed into a powder and boiled in pear juice. This aromatic mixture was spread within the bed curtains and used to sweeten the breath.
She puts some aromatic powder into her mouth,
Slightly showing her tiny, lilac-bud-like tongue tip.
A melodious song forces the cherry to break.
Melted by perfumed wine,
Her lipstick stains the cup and her silk sleeves.
Leaning against the silk-covered couch, unbearably coquettish,
Smiling, she ejects into the face of Lord Tan the red silk thread she chews.
According to Hung Ch'u, a perfume specialist of Sung, six spices were mixed, crushed into a powder and boiled in pear juice. This aromatic mixture was spread within the bed curtains and used to sweeten the breath.
In the fourth line of the
Tz'u, "cherry" refers to Ngo Huang's mouth. When her mouth is closed,
it looks like a cherry, red and small. When she sings, she opens her mouth and
this is likened to a split cherry.
Lord Tan refers to P'an An, a
poet of the Ch'in dynasty (265-420), one of whose names was Tan Nu. He was handsome
and it was said that when his carriage passed by, the ladies threw flowers at
him. Later, the term Lord Tan was used by ladies to denote their lovers.
Modeled on "Spring in the
Jade Pavilion"
After nocturnal make-up, their
skins shining like snow,
She court ladies are lined up in the spring palace.
The trill of the phoenix flutes hovers between water and cloud,
Everywhere is heard again the Air of the Rainbow-Colored Robe.
Who fills the air with perfumed powder?
Tipsy, I beat the balustrade to express my true emotions.
Light no candies on our way home!
Let the horses tread upon cold moonlight.
She court ladies are lined up in the spring palace.
The trill of the phoenix flutes hovers between water and cloud,
Everywhere is heard again the Air of the Rainbow-Colored Robe.
Who fills the air with perfumed powder?
Tipsy, I beat the balustrade to express my true emotions.
Light no candies on our way home!
Let the horses tread upon cold moonlight.
"Beauties are doomed to
die young," as the Chinese saying goes. Ngo Huang was in delicate health
and often confined to bed. Sister Nil Ying stealthily saw her brother-in-law in
the evening as revealed in this poem.
Modeled on “Buddhist Coiffure”
Flowers bright, moon obscure,
fog softly flying.
What an auspicious hour for going to my beloved!
Wearing only unfastened stockings, I mount the perfumed
steps,
Holding the gold-threaded shoes in my hand.
I meet him at the south end of the painted hall,
Leaning against him, as usual I tremble all over.
As it is hard for me to come out,
He is lavish of love.
What an auspicious hour for going to my beloved!
Wearing only unfastened stockings, I mount the perfumed
steps,
Holding the gold-threaded shoes in my hand.
I meet him at the south end of the painted hall,
Leaning against him, as usual I tremble all over.
As it is hard for me to come out,
He is lavish of love.
Li went to her at the hour of
siesta, as he set forth here.
Modeled on “Buddhist Coiffure”
A heavenly maid is locked
within the Palace of P'englai.
'Tis the hour of siesta, silent is the painted hall.
Against the pillow shine her cloud-like tresses.
A strange perfume is emitted by her embroidered robe.
Creeping into her chamber, I stirred the pearls of the curtains.
Waking her up behind the paneled screen of silk.
Slowly she turns to me her smiling face
And we stare at each other with infinite tenderness.
'Tis the hour of siesta, silent is the painted hall.
Against the pillow shine her cloud-like tresses.
A strange perfume is emitted by her embroidered robe.
Creeping into her chamber, I stirred the pearls of the curtains.
Waking her up behind the paneled screen of silk.
Slowly she turns to me her smiling face
And we stare at each other with infinite tenderness.
And a briefer meeting:
Modeled on “The
Clepsydra"
A bird-shaped hairpin of gold
in her hair,
Powder and rouge on her face.
She came to see me for a moment among the flowers.
"You know my feelings,
I'm touched by your tenderness.
Heaven alone can witness our love."
The burnt incense-forming an ear,
A candle shedding tears,
They can be likened to our hearts. My pillow is oily,
My silver coverlet is cold,
When I wake up, nearly no water is left in the clepsydra.
Powder and rouge on her face.
She came to see me for a moment among the flowers.
"You know my feelings,
I'm touched by your tenderness.
Heaven alone can witness our love."
The burnt incense-forming an ear,
A candle shedding tears,
They can be likened to our hearts. My pillow is oily,
My silver coverlet is cold,
When I wake up, nearly no water is left in the clepsydra.
There is a lapse of time
between the first and second stanzas. The poet went to sleep. When he woke he
beheld the incense-stick burnt to ash and the candle dissolved. These images
are likened to their hearts. As incense is consumed by fire, so their hearts
are consumed by the flame of love. A candle shedding tears is a love symbol
often resorted to by Tang poets. Li Shang-ying and Tu Mu used it. Li wrote:
The candle will dry its tears
only when burnt to ash.
Tu wrote:
The very candle is sensitive
to our parting
And sheds tears till dawn for you and me.
And this was another of Li's poems for Nü Ying:
And sheds tears till dawn for you and me.
And this was another of Li's poems for Nü Ying:
Modeled on “Buddhist
Coiffure"
The clear sound of the
copper-leafed Sheng trills within the bamboo box,
To playa new tune, she speeds to and fro her tiny fingers of jade.
Furtively our glances meet,
The autumn ripples of her eyes seem to flow.
In the depth of the embroidered chamber, full of tenderness,
She sweetens my heart whenever she comes. After the union, all becomes empty
My dreams scatter in a spring sleep.
To playa new tune, she speeds to and fro her tiny fingers of jade.
Furtively our glances meet,
The autumn ripples of her eyes seem to flow.
In the depth of the embroidered chamber, full of tenderness,
She sweetens my heart whenever she comes. After the union, all becomes empty
My dreams scatter in a spring sleep.
Li's previous flirtations had
not resulted in lasting affairs. With Nü Ying, it was different. He asked one
of the court ladies to act as lookout whenever he met his Queen's sister. In
spite of all precautions, his secret got out. Many of his ministers wrote
satires on his love affair.
According to Ma Ling's History
of Southern Tang, Li once undertook an austerity campaign, repaired the
walls and fortifications and trained soldiers for defense. When Emperor Tai Tzu
was informed of Li's intention, he sent Li Mu to Southern Tang to invite his
vassal to court. Afraid of being detained, Li feigned illness. He told his
ministers: "If, irritated by my refusal, the Sung emperor should attack
Southern Tang, I would lead the troops myself and make a last-ditch stand in
order to save the country. If I should lose the final battle, I would assemble
all the treasure of my palace and burn myself to death instead of becoming a
ghost in a foreign land."
But Li was no man of action.
When the enemy troops took Nanking, he was at a Buddhist temple listening
to the preaching of a monk. What could he do but surrender? The beautiful dream
was over. He was taken north a prisoner. He began to look at life and death,
the fugitive character of happiness and the vanity of worldly affairs. How
could he end his pam and humiliation? Only through death. So he asked:
"When will there be an end to spring flowers and autumn moon?"
It was midnight of January 1,
976, when Nanking fell into the hands of Sung troops commanded by General
Ts'ao Ping. Li had written a letter of capitulation, confided it to his oldest
son and to Ch'en Ch'iao, one of his ministers, and asked them to take it to the
Sung commander-in-chief. Ch'en Ch'iao refused to obey, saying it would be
better to resist to the end. Holding the hands of Ch'en Ch'iao, Li refused and
melted into tears. Ch'en Ch'iao asked to be killed for disobedience. Summoning
two of his confidants, he gave them his gold belt and said he intended to
commit suicide.
When the Sung
commander-in-chief. General Ts'ao Ping, reached the palace, the trembling Li
opencd the door and submitted his letter of capitulation. General Ts'ao Ping
told him to get ready to leave. Two Sung generals criticized their
commander-in-chief for letting Li go unaccompanied. General Ts'ao Ping replied
that there was nothing to be afraid of, because Li would not have the courage
to kill himself.
Li Hou-chu said goodbye to his
capital and departed for the north in the company of Queen Nü Ying and a suite
of 45, including some lady musicians. It rained that day as if heaven was moved
to weep. Turning his eyes to the imperial city, Li wrote the following poem:
South and north of the River
lies my home of yore.
Thirty years passed away like a dream.
The Palace of Wu lies today in desolation,
The terraces and pavilions of Kuang Ling are now deserted.
The clouds veiling the distant hills are a thousand trails of sorrows,
The raindrops beating my solitary boat are ten thousand lines of tears.
The four brothers and three hundred members of our family
Can no longer sit down together to talk.
Thirty years passed away like a dream.
The Palace of Wu lies today in desolation,
The terraces and pavilions of Kuang Ling are now deserted.
The clouds veiling the distant hills are a thousand trails of sorrows,
The raindrops beating my solitary boat are ten thousand lines of tears.
The four brothers and three hundred members of our family
Can no longer sit down together to talk.
This is not a Tz'u but an
eight-line poem in regulated verse of seven syllables. The four lines in the
middle form two antithetical couplets - two lines so constructed that there is
an identical number of char acters in each and a parallel correspondence in
ideas, tones and syntax. Ideas may be analogous or opposed. Flat tones should
respond to sharp tones. The grammatical role of each character or term should
be the same.
In the foregoing poem, both
antithetical couplets are identical in meaning, the first stressing the
desolation of the abandoned palace of Southern Tang and the
second emphasizing the sorrow of Li. Instead of writing of his own palace, Li
alluded to the Palace of Wu, one of the Three Kingdoms which
lasted 42 years until 264. The capital was in Kuang Ling (modern Yangchow).
Li Hou-ehu arrived in
K'aifeng. High up in the Pavilion of Brilliant Virtue, Tai Tzu, founder of the
Sung dynasty, received him. Li was clad in white and wore a black headdress.
After the ceremony of capitulation, the Sung emperor conferred upon him the
title of Disobedient Marquis and offered him clothing, horses, chariots and
money. At a feast, Emperor Tai Tzu said to Li: "I hear that when you were
in the south, you loved very much to write poetry. Would you recite us the
couplet which you like best?" Li spoke two lines of a poem on his
moon-shaped fan:
The moon is in my hand when I
salute,
The wind is in my breast when the fan is stirred.
After hearing the lines, the Sung emperor looked left and right and told his ministers: "What a scholar of the Imperial Academy!" He meant that Li was a poet and not a worthy king ..
The wind is in my breast when the fan is stirred.
After hearing the lines, the Sung emperor looked left and right and told his ministers: "What a scholar of the Imperial Academy!" He meant that Li was a poet and not a worthy king ..
Emperor Tai Tzu died in 977.
His son T’ai Tsung succeeded him as the second emperor of Sung and made Li the
Duke of Lunghsi, offered him 3,000,000 copper coins and raised his monthly
pension.
Li's father had been an avid
collector of paintings, calligraphy and books. Li entrusted his enormous
collection of books to Huang Pao-yi, one of his court ladies. Before the fall
of Nanking, he told her: "If the city is lost, burn all the books so
that none can lay hands on them." Huang Pao-yi tried to carry out the
order but many books were left unburned. Taken north by the Sung troops, they
became the property of the Imperial Library, One day when Emperor T’ai Tsung
visited the library, he invited Li to accompany him, saying: "I heard that
you loved to study when you were in the south. Most of the books here once
belonged to you. Read them whenever you wish." Li felt no humiliation and
even prostrated himself.
However, he suffered mental
anguish as a result of his confinement. In letters to his former court ladies
in Nanking, he said that he washed his face with tears all day long. He
was not allowed to see former subordinates as he wished. Cheng Wen-pao, one of
his former secretaries, had to disguise himself as a fisherman to gain access
to his old master.
Tai Tzu forced the beautiful
Nü Ying to wait upon him in his palace, Li escaped into oblivion through wine.
In a Tz’u entitled "Crows Crying al Night," he wrote:
Last night, wind was mingled
with rain.
The sound of autumn rustled through my curtains.
The candle was dissolved, the water-clock stilled,
Often did I lean against my pillow,
Being restless, up or couched.
Worldly affairs pass by like flowing water,
The floating life is like a dream,
Only the road to the land of tipsiness is smooth, take it often!
The others should not be trodden.
The sound of autumn rustled through my curtains.
The candle was dissolved, the water-clock stilled,
Often did I lean against my pillow,
Being restless, up or couched.
Worldly affairs pass by like flowing water,
The floating life is like a dream,
Only the road to the land of tipsiness is smooth, take it often!
The others should not be trodden.
Li had spent two winters in
the north. On the occasion of his 42nd birthday, he gave a feast. The musicians
played so loudly Emperor Tai Tsung was offended. Moreover, one of Li Hou-chu's
nostalgic poems was set to music and sung. The Sung emperor heard these two
lines:
Last night, the east wind came
back again to my small pavilion,
I cannot bear to recall my country of yore in the moonlight.
I cannot bear to recall my country of yore in the moonlight.
The song was still on the lips
of the singer when Emperor T'ai Tsung had one of the attendants bring a cup of
poison which he forced on Li. When the news of Li's death reached Nanking,
weeping was heard in every street and lane.
Li Yü died young and left some
40 poems written in tears and blood. His reign was short and a failure, but as
a poet he is an immortal.
No author listed. Taiwan Today, December 01, 1971
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