The Works of Li Qingzhao, Ci Poems 3.33 - 3.40

[x_los]

The fifth 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 3.33 through 3.40, inclusive.
 

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 14 as recommended additional reading. 

Recall from the introduction that everything after 3.35 is relatively likely to be misattributed.

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Comments

3.39

[x_los]

浣溪沙

樓上晴天碧四垂。
樓前芳草接天涯。
勸君莫上最高梯。
新筍看成堂下竹
落花都上燕巢泥。
忍聽林表杜鵑啼。

To the tune “Sands of the Washing Stream”

A clear aqua sky hangs over the tower on four sides, fragrant grasses below the building reach to the horizon. I urge you, my lord, not to climb the tower’s high stair.
New shoots have grown into bamboo before the hall,
Fallen blossoms are in the mud that now forms swallow nests. How can one bear to hear the cuckoo’s call from the woods?

Re: 3.39

[x_los]

“A clear aqua sky hangs over the tower on four sides,” why would you specify the four sides, is that not the nature of towers?

“Fallen blossoms are in the mud that now forms swallow nests.” So swallows like—nest in dirt?

“It is because the man is far away that the speaker wants to advise him, in line 3, not to ascend the tower and gaze afar, which would only increase his longing for home.” Oh, I assumed it was because the tower was derelict, if these new shoots were growing up before it. Maybe the hall and the tower are different buildings, one where the figure is and the other where the poetic speaker is.

Re: 3.39

[ann712]

Yep swallows and house martins construct their nests from mud which they attach to rafters and eves. But they line them with feathers and moss and stuff.

Re: 3.39

[superborb]

Four sides just means all sides. Is that... not the case in English. *squints suspiciously*

Swallow nests are built of mud, yes.

IDK if the hall is derelict; it seemed just to be time passing?

Re: 3.39

[x_los]

All sides feels a little different to me, I guess, in its lack of specificity? The whole phrase feels rather strange, "A clear aqua sky hangs over the tower on four sides", when it might feel more normal to me to say--the sky stretched clear and blue in every direction. Hanging over the tower is just a weird verb for it. 'The sky hangs' feels less weird, oddly.

Re: 3.39

[superborb]

Baike says that this is generally considered the work of Zhou Bangyan, as it was recorded as such prior to the collections that attribute it to Li Qingzhao.