The Works of Li Qingzhao, Ci Poems 3.1 - 3.8

[x_los]

This week we start working with Li Qingzhao’s ci poetry. As usual, the book is 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). We're reading the poems 3.1 through 3.8 inclusive.

This collection uses footnotes and endnotes to explicate the work. There are three endnotes for this week’s group of poems, but these aren’t very rich in exegesis.

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

Comments

Re: 3.4

[pengwern]

for me, it's rather distinct from ophelia and lady of shalott, which all have a lot of doomed lonely death associations? the lotus strewn lakes in the jiangnan like the lake tai, xihu/west lake etc or any given lake all tended to be hubs of social and economic activity. lots of women industriously working to gather the foodstuffs like lotus roots, fish, etc in boats (or bowls that were very big so you could sit in them :O), floating markets, etc.
People of a higher class than the gatherers would boat for leisure like punts in oxford, and you often have pleasure boats in these prosperous bustling cities, but in this poem everyone else has gone home from the parties etc and in the evening only the white waterbirds are left to be startled...www love this poetry form

Re: 3.4

[llonkrebboj]

akshgsshdk it's so gorgeous and she is SO GOOD AHHHHHHH

Re: 3.4

[pengwern]

It’s a really vivid word painting and I’m trying to think of a medium that can do it justice but nnno, honestly the compactness, the skill, it isn’t something that can be as easily evoked by image or video than in these small handful of words....