The Works of Li Qingzhao, Ci Poems 3.49 - 3.56

[x_los]

The seventh 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 3.49 through 3.56, 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)

Recall from the introduction that everything after 3.35 is relatively likely to be misattributed. This is especially true after 3.45: these may be written deliberately 'in Li Qingzhao's style'. 

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Comments

3.55

[x_los]

生查子

年年玉鏡臺 梅蕊宮妝困。
今歲不歸來
怕見江南信。
酒從別後疏
淚向愁中盡。
遙想楚雲深
人遠天涯近。

To the tune “The Quince”

Every year in the jade mirror on a stand, palace style plum-petal makeup wearies.1
This year he still does not return,
she fears to see the Southland’s messenger of spring.
Wine has seldom been sipped since his parting, tears have been used up in her sadness.
She imagines the dense clouds over distant Chu:
that person is so far the end of the sky seems near.

Re: 3.55

[x_los]

“Wine has seldom been sipped since his parting,” man that feels SUPER inauthentic

“that person is so far the end of the sky seems near.” This is an interesting image but the translation is quite oddly phrased

Re: 3.55

[superborb]

Oh I quite liked that line! Though the 'is so far' bit is editorializing, it's implied in the poem.