The Works of Li Qingzhao, poems 1.13 to 1.18

[x_los]

Back at it again with The Works of Li Qingzhao, freely available via De Gruyter's Library of Chinese Humanities in Mandarin and English and via several publication formats, including two open access options (the pdf appears to be better formatted than the ebook). This week we're reading poems 1.13 to 1.18, inclusive.

This collection uses footnotes and end notes to explicate the work. A few of this week's poems have footnotes, so look out for that.

CLP has an episode on Li Qingzhao you might find relevant.

Comments

1.13 題八咏樓 Inscribed on Tower of Eight Odes

[x_los]

題八咏樓

千古風流八咏樓
江山留與後人愁。
水通南國三千里
氣壓江城十四州。

Inscribed on Tower of Eight Odes

Celebrated since ancient times, the Tower of Eight Odes!
Yet its rivers and hills now bequeath sorrow to later generations.
The waters here flow through three thousand Southland miles,
the tower’s aura dominates fourteen Yangzi River prefectures.

[see footnote--though it might pertain to the previous poem]

Re: 1.13 題八咏樓 Inscribed on Tower of Eight Odes

[x_los]

Hey is this where Du Fu was?

Re: 1.13 題八咏樓 Inscribed on Tower of Eight Odes

[superborb]

Baike says the last couplet is potentially a reference to another poem, whose author once famously replied to a would-be emperor who wanted him to change 14 prefectures to 40; the author responded that it's difficult to add prefectures and difficult to change a poem.