Most commentaries seem to date this poem quite early in her career, when her husband had to travel away from home not long after their marriage. Not sure of the veracity of that, but it's the conventional read.
Possibly the mat is also cool because she is feeling Lonely(TM).
The final line 'As soon as it leaves the brow it surfaces in the heart' is said by many commentators to be a riff on 眉间心上 无计相回避 (very roughly: there's no escaping this emotion: whether twixt my brows or upon my heart), the final line from fellow Song poet Fan Zhongyan's ci poem set to the tune of 御街行 (Walking on Imperial Streets). Li Qingzhao's version is often held to be superior (though there are dudebros who Want To Be Different who hold to the contrary) because it captures the rippling ups-and-downs of emotions more effectively and evocatively than Fan Zhongyan's relatively 'plain spoken' line.
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Re: 3.13
Date: 2022-02-07 07:57 am (UTC)Possibly the mat is also cool because she is feeling Lonely(TM).
The final line 'As soon as it leaves the brow it surfaces in the heart' is said by many commentators to be a riff on 眉间心上 无计相回避 (very roughly: there's no escaping this emotion: whether twixt my brows or upon my heart), the final line from fellow Song poet Fan Zhongyan's ci poem set to the tune of 御街行 (Walking on Imperial Streets). Li Qingzhao's version is often held to be superior (though there are dudebros who Want To Be Different who hold to the contrary) because it captures the rippling ups-and-downs of emotions more effectively and evocatively than Fan Zhongyan's relatively 'plain spoken' line.