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The Works of Li Qingzhao, Ci Poems 3.1 - 3.8
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.
3.5
昨夜雨疏風驟。
濃睡不消殘酒。
試問捲簾人
却道海棠依舊。 知否。
知否。 應是綠肥紅瘦。
To the tune “As If in a Dream”
Last night the rain was intermittent, the wind blustery. Deep sleep did not dispel the lingering wine. I tried asking the maid raising the blinds,
who said the crab-apple blossoms were as before. “Don’t you know? Don’t you know? The greens must be plump and the reds spindly.”
Re: 3.5
“who said the crab-apple blossoms were as before. “Don’t you know? Don’t you know? The greens must be plump and the reds spindly.”” I don’t get any of this part
Re: 3.5
Re: 3.5
Baike also claims that the first lines might indicate the singer drank so much because she cherished the flowers and couldn't bear to see them wither / get damaged from the wind and rain. And then she couldn't bear to see it for herself the next day, so asked the maid about it.
Baike gets a bit classist about it, saying the singer had a deeper understanding of nature and life than the maid, and the maid didn't have the emotional depth to appreciate the flowers.
Re: 3.5
she is so charming in this one 🥺🤣
Re: 3.5
Here's an adorable pair of girls singing it.
I wonder at which point in her life did she write this and if she is the speaker. Is this a little sketch of what happened one morning, or a something from her imagination...?
It has very /youth/ vibes if that makes sense. Mood being influenced that the time has passed for the blooming flowers and being sad that the season is over.
Love how she describes the crabapple blossoms as 'reds' supposed to be thinning (the literal word is thin! What's this 'spindly' nonsense?), and the green leaves 'fattening' i.e. growing dense. It's such a fresh and slightly playful turn of phrase. Oh - and I just looked up images of crabapple trees, and in spring aka flowering season, they are absolutely COVERED in red or pink blossoms. You can hardly see any green. It's very pretty.
Also this whole little scene - it made me laugh!
Can you imagine someone maybe upset and drinking the night away while the wind is whooooooooooooing outside, and drizzling raindrops tap-tapping on the roof. Then they fall asleep and wake up still sort of drunk, feeling all melancholy about like, the going away of beautiful things. (/o\ I'm not going to look out the window!) When the maid comes in all matter-of-factly rolling up the blinds, they mock-casually ask, "hey would you just take a look and tell me how are the flowers today?"
The maid is like ???? "Nothing's changed, miss? They're all still out there." If she's ever been upset about fallen blossoms, it's probably when thinking about how much there is to sweep.
And the person is so exasperated like aaaaaaa she doesn't get it! 'Don't you know? Don't you know?! It's time for them to all be falling!"
EXACTLY like when I was trying to tell my dad about how it feels to sit on the work bus with a childhood friend when we used to take the morning school bus together, and he DIDN'T get it until I came right out to say "Ah, time passes fast!"
Re: 3.5
the vibe I get from this is slightly older world weary later twenties thirties? probably bc of the 殘 and the tempestuous storm and weary snooze. rain/wind and the imperfections of age weathering someone