The Works of Li Qingzhao, Ci Poems 3.25 - 3.32

[x_los]

The fourth instalment of Li Qingzhao’s ci poetry. This 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 3.25 through 3.32, inclusive.

Four 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)

This week, we look at Chapter 13 as recommended additional reading. 

It may interest you to know that if you’ve been doing the additional reading, you’re now more than 1/3 of the way through How to Read Chinese Poetry:

Ch 1 (Shi Jing)
Ch 5 (19 Old Poems)
Ch 8 (Du Fu
Ch 9 (Du Fu)
Ch 10 (Du Fu)
Ch 12 (Li Qingzhao)
Ch 18 (Du Fu)

These next two chapters related to ci poetry will see us to the halfway point.

In contrast, I’ve been neglecting Chinese Poetry in Context: I believe we've read only Ch 15. I hope to be more assiduous about recommending it in future, when we cover pertinent people. So far, we’ve been a bit misaligned (or I wasn’t yet recommending specific chapters for discussion, when something pertinent came up).

THIS WEEK, recall from the introduction that 3.24 - 3.28 may be misattributed.

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

3.25

[x_los]

漁家傲

雪里已知春信至。
寒梅點綴瓊枝膩。

香臉半開嬌旖旎。
當庭際。
玉人浴出新妝洗。
造化可能偏有意。
故教明月玲瓏地。
共賞金尊沉綠蟻。
莫辭醉。
此花不與群花比。

To the tune “The Fisherman Is Proud”

Amid snow we know spring’s messenger has arrived.
The cold plum is adorned, its jeweled branches lustrous.
The perfumed face is half visible, showing coy beauty.
At the edge of the courtyard,
a jade beauty emerges from the bath, her make-up newly rinsed.
The Creator must be biased in his intent
to cause the bright moon to shine on this spot.
Together we enjoy the dark bubbles in the golden goblet.
Do not decline to drink too much,
 this flower cannot be compared to any other.

3.26

[x_los]

孤雁兒

世人作梅詞，下筆便俗。予試作一篇，乃知前言不妄耳。
藤床紙帳朝眠起。
說不盡
無佳思。
沈香煙斷玉爐寒
伴我情怀如水。
笛聲三弄
梅心驚破
多少春情意。
小風疏雨瀟瀟地。
又催下千行淚。
吹簫人去玉樓空
腸斷与誰同倚。
一枝折得
人間天上
沒個人堪寄。

To the tune “The Solitary Wild Goose”

People say that when writing songs on the plum blossom, as soon as your brush touches the page the piece is vulgar. I tried writing one, and discovered it’s true.
A rattan bed, paper curtain, awaking in the morning. I could never describe it,
this mood with no pleasant thoughts.
The aloeswood incense no longer burns, the censer is cold,
the despair that attends upon me is like a stream that never stops. Three tunes on the flute,2
startle open the plum blossoms,
but the excitement of spring—how much is there?
A light breeze brings fine rain that moistens the ground. It also hastens the shedding of a thousand lines of tears. The flute-player has left, the jade tower is empty,
with whom can my broken heart fly off ?1 A sprig of blossoms may be picked,
but not in this world, nor in heaven,
is there anyone to send it to.

3.27 On Wilted Plum Blossoms

[x_los]

滿庭芳

殘梅

小閣藏春
閒窗銷晝
畫堂無限深幽。
篆香燒盡 日影下簾鉤。 手種江梅更好 又何必臨水登樓。
無人到 寂寥恰似何遜在楊州。
從來知韻勝
難堪雨藉
不耐風揉。 更誰家橫笛 吹動濃愁。
莫恨香消玉減 16 須信道
掃跡情留。
難言處
良宵淡月
疏影尚風流。

To the tune “Fragrance Fills the Courtyard”

On Wilted Plum Blossoms

This small building conceals the spring season, the lattice windows lock the morning inside, the painted hall is infinitely deep and secluded.
Seal-character incense has all turned to ash,
the sun’s shadows move down the hooked curtain.
The river plums I planted myself grow ever more attractive, why bother going to the river or climbing to the balcony?
No one comes,
the loneliness here is just like He Sun’s in Yangzhou.
From olden times, such outstanding beauty,
could hardly bear being pelted by rain 12 or tossed about by winds.
What’s worse is when the flute song being played somewhere buffets it with such deep sadness!1
Do not regret the fragrance fading or the snow melting—
you must understand
the feeling lingers after the form is swept away. Yet the hardest part is recalling these lines, “On a fine evening in pale moonlight,
the delicate shadows retain their charm.”

3.28 On the Red Plum

[x_los]

玉樓春

紅梅

紅酥肯放瓊苞碎。
探著南枝開遍未。
不知醞藉幾多時
但見包藏無限意。
道人憔悴春窗底。
悶損闌干愁不倚。
要來小看便來休
未必明朝風不起。

To the tune “Spring in the Jade Tower”

On the Red Plum

The red cream displays itself, the jeweled pod bursts.
I look to see if the southern branch is fully in blossom yet. There’s no telling how long they were concealed in preparation,
all we see is the boundless feeling they contain.
The blossoms know the person beside the spring window is haggard, troubled beside the balcony railing, too sad to lean and gaze afar.
If you want to come view them a while, please do!
There’s no guarantee wind will not rise in the morning.

3.29

[x_los]

念奴嬌

蕭條庭院
又斜風細雨
重門須閉。
寵柳嬌花寒食近 種種惱人天氣。 險韻詩成 扶頭酒醒
別是閑滋味。 征鴻過盡 萬千心事難寄。
樓上幾日春寒
簾垂四面
玉闌干慵倚。
被冷香消新夢覺
不許愁人不起。
清露晨流
新桐初引
多少遊春意。
日高煙斂
更看今日晴未。

To the tune “Recalling Her Charm”

So deserted, the courtyard,
what’s more, a fine drizzle is blown by slanting winds, the double doors must be kept shut.
Oh, the beloved willows and lovely flowers, as Cold Food Day approaches,
it’s the season that’s unsettling in so many ways. My poem set to a difficult rhyme is finished,
I sober up from strong wine
to a special flavor of idleness.
The migrating geese fly past,
but they could never transmit the countless concerns on my mind.
Spring chill has lasted several days in my upper-story room,
the blinds hang down on all four sides,
I’m too languid to lean on the jade balustrade.
My blanket is cold, the incense burned out, awake now from a dream, it’s impossible with such sadness not to arise.
See—pure dewdrops drift down in the morning air, new paulownia leaves are putting forth buds, perfect for a springtime outing!
As the sun rises and the mist burns off,
Let me look to see if the sky will be clear today.

3.30

[x_los]

聲聲慢

尋尋覓覓
冷冷清清
悽悽慘慘戚戚。
乍暖還寒時候 最難將息。 三杯兩盞淡酒 怎敵他
晚來風力。 雁過也
正傷心 卻是舊時相識。
滿地黃花堆積。 憔悴損
如今有誰忺摘。
守著窗兒
獨自怎生得黑。
梧桐更兼細雨
到黃昏
點點滴滴。
這次第
怎一箇愁字了得。

To the tune “Note after Note, Long Song”

Searching, hunting, seeking, looking, so chilly and yet so clear.
distressed, dismal, and forlorn.
Warm awhile then cold again, it’s that season, the worst for taking care of yourself.
How can two or three cups of weak wine hold up against
the strength of the evening wind?
The wild geese have flown past,
truly saddening the heart,
what’s more, I recognize them from years past.
Yellow petals cover the ground, strewn in piles.
I’m so haggard and weakened now,
who bothers to pluck them anymore before they fall? I sit beside the window, all by myself,
how could it have turned so black outside? Paulownia trees and fine rain,
until dusk has fallen, I listen to
drip after drip, drop after drop.
This scene, this feeling—
how could the word “sorrow” ever suffice?

[x_los]

“Searching, hunting, seeking, looking,” slightly reminiscent of Guan Guan

“Warm awhile then cold again, it’s that season, the worst for taking care of yourself.” This feels apposite, but I wonder when she means exactly

Really evocative one

3.31 The Lantern Festival

[x_los]

永遇樂

元宵

落日鎔金
暮雲合璧
人在何處。
染柳煙濃 吹梅笛怨 春意知幾許。 元宵佳節
融和天氣 次第豈無風雨。
來相召
香車寶馬
謝他酒朋詩侶。
中州盛日
閨門多暇
記得偏重三五。
舖翠冠兒 撚金雪柳
簇帶爭濟楚。
如今憔悴
風鬟霜鬢
怕見夜間出去。
不如向
簾兒底下
聽人笑語。

To the tune “Always Having Fun”

The Lantern Festival

The setting sun is molten gold,
the clouds at dusk are a disk of jade. and where am I now?
The willows dyed with dark mist, “Plum Blossom” flutes are sorrowful, how much springtime feeling is there? The lovely time of the Lantern Festival:
the weather is balmy now,
but any moment there could be wind and rain.
They come to invite me out,
in fragrant carriages drawn by festooned horses,
but I turn them down, drinking buddies and poetry friends.
In the halcyon days back in the central provinces, there was much leisure in the women’s apartments, I remember how we cherished the Fifteenth!
We wore kingfisher feather caps,
and snowy willows of plied gold,
each trying to outdo the others in layered splendor! But today, gaunt and haggard,
hair disheveled by wind and temples touched by frost, I’m embarrassed to go out at night.
Better to sit behind
lowered blinds
and listen to others’ talk and laughter.

3.32

[x_los]

憶秦娥

臨高閣。
亂山平野煙光薄。
煙光薄。
棲鴉歸後
暮天聞角。
斷香殘酒情懷惡。
西風催襯梧桐落。
梧桐落。
又還秋色
又還寂寞。

To the tune “Remembering Qin E”

A high balcony overlooks
jumbled hills and a level plain, as sunset mist fades.
Sunset mist fades.
After the crows have gone to roost,
in the evening sky comes the sound of a horn.
The incense is burned out, some wine remains, but my mood is foul.
The west wind hurries the paulownia leaves to fall.
The paulownia leaves fall.
Once more, an autumn scene—
once more, loneliness.

Chapter 13

[x_los]

A convenient discussion of the people Li Qingzhao discusses in her short essay on ci poetry (though it’s odd in a way that she’s being brought up here in the long ci chapter, and that she chooses to discuss these people, when so far we’ve only read what I believe to be her short ci works?).

I don’t know that I really get what the writer means by leading words

It’s fair to say tho that with the tunes mostly lost we don’t really have the substance of Li Qingzhao’s complaint about Su Shi anymore 

‘ Then he changes his mind. He forgives the moon’ lol

This critic doesn’t read the brother as an implied subject of 13.2, which I find a bit odd? That was v much my understanding

Nice that we’re gonna treat LinQingzhao directly now

‘One of the most prominent female figures’ dude seriously who else exists I legit want to know 

Odd that this counts as ‘long’

The preface on 13.5 is v cute

Heroic style is wanky but fun

How do we know this persona is female? That didn’t occur to me

Interesting re jun in the last poem. I read do not dance as a warning to a woman!