"Writing Love"
Li Yi of the Tang Dynasty
"The precious silk with water patterns makes me think about it for a long time, and the good times of a thousand miles will rest overnight."
From now on, I have no intention of loving the good night and let him go down to the west tower under the bright moon.
Translation and Annotation
Lying on the exquisite bamboo mat, I had a lot of thoughts and could not calm down for a long time. The long-awaited date with my lover was shattered this night. From now on, I no longer have the intention to appreciate the beautiful scenery on this good day, no matter whether the bright moon sets on the west tower or not.
Appreciation
The love story between Li Yi and Huo Xiaoyu eventually fell into the cliché of an infatuated woman and a heartless man. "The Biography of Huo Xiaoyu" says that when Li Yi entered Chang'an to take the exam at an early age, he fell in love with the educated and sensible Huo Xiaoyu and made a vow to become a lifelong partner. Later, Li Yi returned to his hometown to visit his mother, but unexpectedly his mother had engaged him to his cousin Lu. Forced by feudal ethics, he did not dare to disobey and could only choose spiritual escape. Huo Xiaoyu learned about Li Yi's current situation from others, so she forced herself to support her haggard body and came to Li Yi. The two looked at each other in silence. After Xiaoyu cursed, she died.
This Qijue poem is titled "Writing Love", which is probably related to the above story. The poem says that the man was lying on the bamboo mat and was insomnia, with a lot of thoughts, "A journey of a thousand miles and a night's rest" because he was let go on a long-awaited date. The other party suddenly changed his mind. He was not prepared at all. Such a night was destined to be sleepless.
"I have no intention of loving the good night from now on, and let him go down to the west building with the bright moon." He was lost and depressed. He felt that he could never love again, and he couldn't even remember that night with clear wind and bright moon. No matter how interested he is, it doesn't matter whether the moon rises or falls, everything has nothing to do with him. Anyone who has experienced love can deeply understand the pain of lovelorn. The person I once believed to be everything to me was suddenly separated, and everything in the world had no meaning of existence. "It should be a beautiful thing in a good time."
The artistic feature of this poem is to use a happy scene to set off the sadness. "Water patterns on precious bamboo mats", "good night" and "bright moon" are all extremely beautiful images. However, the author's emotions are always depressed. , the beautiful scenery only aggravates the sadness. Another feature is the use of virtual techniques to strengthen the tone. The last two sentences express determination, with a sense of willfulness and anger. They not only show the depth of pain, but also highlight the characteristics of the character.
Extended reading: Introduction to Li Yi
Li Yi (746-829), courtesy name Junyu, was born in Guzang, Shaanxi (now Wuwei, Gansu) , later moved to Zhengzhou, Henan, and was a poet of the Tang Dynasty.
In the fourth year of Dali (769), Li Yizhong became a Jinshi. He was first appointed as the captain of Zheng County. Due to frustration in his official career, he abandoned his official position and wandered around Yanzhao. At the beginning of the Yuan Dynasty, Emperor Xianzong called Li Yi back to Beijing and served as a doctor in the capital. In the first year of Yamato (827), the Minister of Rites became the Minister of Rites and died as an official.
He traveled north to Heshuo, and in the 13th year of Zhenyuan (797), he was appointed Liu Ji, the military governor of Youzhou. Taste and write poems, there are words of resentment and hope. In the 16th year, he traveled south to Yangzhou and other places, and wrote some masterpieces describing the scenery of the south of the Yangtze River. After Yuanhe entered the dynasty, he held the posts of Secretary and Shaojian, Bachelor of Jixian Palace, Mengmen joining the army, and Zuo Sanqi Changshi. He was conceited about his talent and neglected by many, and was not tolerated by the public. The admonishment officials cited his Youzhou poems and demoted him to the San rank. During the reign of Emperor Xianzong, he was reused as secretary-supervisor, moved as a guest of the prince, a bachelor of Jixian, and judged court affairs. He was transferred to the right as a regular attendant. In the first year of Yamato (827), the Minister of Rites became the Minister of Rites and died as an official.
Extended reading: Li Yi’s poetic style
Li Yi’s poetic style is bold and bright, and he is especially famous for his frontier poems. He is a representative poet of frontier fortress poetry in the mid-Tang Dynasty. Two songs, "Sending the Envoy from Liaoyang to Return to the Army" and "Listening to the Flute in the City at Night" were widely sung at that time. Although his frontier fortress poems have many heroic words, they tend to be sentimental. They mainly express the resentment of the border soldiers who have been garrisoned for a long time and want to return home. They no longer have the heroic and optimistic mood of the frontier fortress poems of the prosperous Tang Dynasty. He is good at quatrains, especially Qijue. His famous works include "Walking to the West City at Night", "Joining the Army in the Northern Expedition", "Surrender", "Listening to the Flute on a Spring Night", etc. There are also many famous verses in its rhyme style, such as the five rhymes "Happy to see my brother-in-law and say goodbye", "Asking for the surname is surprising when we first meet, calling the name to recall the old appearance", which is a famous line passed down through the ages. The seven rhymes "Climbing the Stork Tower with Cui Bing", "Crossing Wuyuan Hu'er and Drinking Maquan" (also known as "Crossing Huer and Drinking Maquan in Yanzhou"), etc., are all excellent works. There are currently 2 volumes of "Collection of Li Yi", 2 volumes of "Collection of Poems of Li Junyu", and 1 volume of "Collection of Poems of Li Shangshu" in the "Eryoutang Series".
He was good at singing and poetry. At the end of Zhenyuan, he became as famous as his ancestor Li He. Every time he wrote a piece, the musicians in the church offered bribes to obtain it and sang it as an offering song. In his "Song of Recruitment" and "Morning Journey", those who do good things are painted as barriers. The most representative ones are "Jiangnan Ci" and "Listening to the Flute in the City at Night". The former writes about a woman who misses her husband because he is a merchant in Qutang. "Believe, marry a trend-setter" (If I had known, I would have been better off marrying a trend-setter! After all, the tide rises and falls at certain times, and you can always stay with the trend-setter day and night, which is much better than a merchant's wife). The psychological description is vivid and subtle. The latter writes about the homesickness of the border guards who surrendered to the city, "I don't know where to blow the reed pipe, and all the soldiers in one night looked back at their hometown." The melodious sound of the reed pipe arouses long-lasting homesickness, which makes people feel sympathetic and sad when reading it. Collected one volume, and now compiled two volumes of poetry (volumes 282 and 283 of the Complete Poems of the Tang Dynasty).