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.

If you’d like to be added to the reminder email list, let me know the address you wish to be contacted via. (You can also unsubscribe from the reminders at any time simply by replying ‘unsubscribe’.)

Comments

3.9

[x_los]

浣溪沙

莫許杯深琥珀濃。
未成沈醉意先融。
疏鐘己應晚來風。
瑞腦香消魂夢斷 辟寒金小髻鬟鬆。 醒時空對燭花紅。


To the tune “Sands of the Washing Stream”

Do not decline a deep cup filled with luscious amber wine, before real drunkenness sets in, the mind is already numb. The sound of a distant bell answers rising evening winds.
The camphor incense burns down, my dream is interrupted, the warming-gold hairpin is small, my hair knot grows loose. Sober now, I sit vacantly before the candle’s red glow.

Re: 3.9

[x_los]

Wtf are these birds doing secreting gold from their mouths wtf

Li Qingzhao sometimes has a Hölderlin vibe (but I dig her more and I’m not quite sure how that breaks down)

Re: 3.9

[superborb]

The internet is NOT helpful about this bird. Baike [https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E8%BE%9F%E5%AF%92%E9%87%91/5871715] just says it's a bird that coughs gold

Re: 3.9

[superborb]

Baike glosses 'distant' as intermittent.

I like the word used for dream-- dream of the immortal soul (the hun, the soul that can be detached from the body)

Baike wants the red candle to be hopeful / happy, which seems not quite right. (Its vernacular tl uses 'lonely' for what is tled as vacant here)