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

3.8

[x_los]

菩薩蠻

歸鴻聲斷殘雲碧。
背窗雪落爐煙直。
燭底鳳釵明。
釵頭人勝輕。
角聲催曉漏。
曙色回牛斗。
春意看花難。
西風留舊寒。

To the tune “Boddhisattva Barbarian”

Migrating geese can no longer be heard, past broken clouds of cyan-green.
Snow falls outside the darkened window, the censer’s smoke rises straight.
A phoenix hairpin reflects the candle’s flame.
Cutout figures weigh nothing, inserted beside the pin.
A garrison horn hurries the water-clock at dawn. The day’s first light comes to Dipper and Ox.
Eager for signs of spring, it’s hard to look for blossoms 8 when the west wind retains winter’s chill.

Re: 3.8

[x_los]

“paper cutouts of human figures, which were displayed on screens and worn in the hair.” Oh, is the CQL bit with LWJ’s hair and WWX’s paper cutout some light visual allusion to this?

She’s very good at evocative sensory description in a way I think previous poet’s haven’t really been

Re: 3.8

[ann712]

it’s hard to look for blossoms 8 when the west wind retains winter’s chill.

Really relating to this.

Re: 3.8

[superborb]

Cyan-green is an interesting translation. The original word is given in the dictionary as 'green jade; bluish green; blue; jade' and glossed by Baike with a word the dictionary gives as 'lush green; dark green; turquoise'. I guess I would have just expected something that picked up that jade implication in the original character? And 'cyan-green' is not really a standard word, so it feels more of a Choice.

Baike specifies that these cutouts would have been made of gold foil.