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

3.15

[x_los]

蝶戀花

暖日和風初破凍。
柳眼梅腮
已覺春心動。
酒意詩情誰與共。 淚融殘粉花鈿重。
乍試夾衫金縷縫。
山枕斜欹
枕損釵頭鳳。
獨抱濃愁無好夢。
夜闌猶翦燈花弄。

To the tune “Butterfly Loves Flowers”

Warm sunlight and pleasing winds, the ice begins to melt. Willow eyelids and plum-tree cheeks,
the excitement of spring stirs in my heart.
A taste for wine and poetry—who will share it with me? Tears dry on fading powder, the inlaid hair-clasp heavy.
I try on a lined jacked with gold-thread embroidery.
Resting my head on the mound-pillow, 8 my phoenix hairpin is dislodged.
Alone I clutch dense sadness, no pleasant dream comes. Late at night I trim the lamp wick, toying with it.

Re: 3.15

[x_los]

“Willow eyelids and plum-tree cheeks” ?

Hairpins keep getting dislodged in these

The beginning of stanza 1 sets me up to read line 4 as lightly romantic, and then the final line and next stanza spin that into a juxtaposition between the character and their surroundings.

Re: 3.15

[pengwern]

I've been trying to do those hairstyles and dear god, it's awful, and I suppose with her real gold pins they must be even heavier? all the horrible deportment lessons or w/e and it's just to make sure you don't trip over everything....
silk flowers good T__T

Re: 3.15

[superborb]

Very annoying when the first line is a variant and so it's hard to find on Baike!

The standard first line is more like "Warm rain and clear wind"

Willow eyelids are glossed as: young willow leaves have the appearance of slender eyes, thus, willow eyes. (I'd really tl it to willow eyes instead.)

Plum tree cheeks are glossed as: plum blossom petals are like the cheeks of beautiful women, thus, plum flower cheeks. (Tree seems an odd tl choice.)

Mound-pillow is glossed as: sandalwood pillow. Because the shape is like 凹, it was called a mountain pillow