The Works of Li Qingzhao, Ci Poems 3.9 - 3.16

[x_los]

This week we continue 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 3.9 through 3.16 inclusive.

Three of this week’s poems have endnotes, but these offer only small points of Chinese language exegesis. 

How to Read Chinese Poetry has three chapters on the ci forms Li Qingzhao uses here:

 

Chapter 12, Ci Poetry: Short Song Lyrics (Xiaoling) 

Chapter 13, Ci Poetry: Long Song Lyrics (Manci) 

Chapter 14, Ci Poetry: Long Song Lyrics on Objects (Yongwu Ci)

From next week, we’ll be looking at these as recommended reading.

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Comments

3.10

[x_los]

浣溪沙

小院閑窗春色深。
重簾未捲影沈沈。
倚樓無語理瑤琴。
遠岫出雲催薄暮 細風吹雨弄輕陰。 梨花欲謝恐難禁。


To the tune “Sands of the Washing Stream”

A small courtyard and lattice window, the spring colors are vivid. The double blinds are not lifted, shadows gather deep inside.
She leans on the balcony, saying nothing, plucking a pearled zither.

A distant cave emits clouds, hurrying the onset of dusk,
a light wind brings rain, rippling the sparse shade.
The pear blossoms will soon wither—no preventing it, I fear.

Re: 3.10

[x_los]

“A distant cave emits clouds, hurrying the onset of dusk,”


I wonder if this is generally the theory on where clouds come from? Maybe the clouds just visually seem to roll out of it.

Re: 3.10

[superborb]

Baike glosses it definitively as mountain peak. The clouds coming from distant mountains originates from Tao Yuanming (Jin poet).

But then its vernacular tl says "The clouds and mist curl around the distant mountain peak like nightfall is imminent"