The talented girl Yu Xuanji of the late Tang Dynasty and her poems
The powerful and prosperous Tang Dynasty was full of poetic talents, and many female poets also came into being. Yu Xuanji, a woman from Chang'an, is a representative writer among the female poets of the late Tang Dynasty. She is talented, beautiful and passionate, and is as famous as the famous female poets Li Ye and Xue Tao. "Sanshui Xiaoshu" written by Huangfu Mei gave a very high evaluation to her outstanding talents and work in poetry: "She is so beautiful that she is captivated by her beauty, and she is fascinated by her thoughts. She likes to read and write, and she is especially fond of chanting and chanting." . "But in feudal society, women's talents cannot be fully utilized. Coupled with their unpredictable lives, unfortunate marriages, and ruthless life, they forced her into a Taoist temple and became a indulgent female Taoist priest. In the end, he killed his maid out of jealousy and was sentenced to death. This beautiful and passionate talented woman, her short and tragic life has still aroused people's infinite emotion and lamentation.
Yu Xuanji, whose original name was Youwei and whose courtesy name was Huilan, was born in the suburbs of Chang'an (now Xi'an, Shaanxi) in the second year of Huichang (844 AD), Emperor Wuzong of the Tang Dynasty. Yu's father read poetry and books, but failed to achieve success in his life. He had to devote all his efforts to his only daughter, Yu Youwei, and deliberately trained her. Under the nurturing of her father, the intelligent and studious Youwei was able to recite hundreds of famous poems at the age of five. She began to learn to compose poems at the age of seven. By the age of eleven or twelve, her compositions had already been recited among the literati in Chang'an. Known as the "Poetry Boy". At that time, the great poet Wen Tingyun (about 812-866, named Feiqing, a native of Taiyuan. Unsatisfactory official career, official assistant of the Imperial Academy), visited Yu Youwei admiringly, and called "willow by the river" Give him a three-character title and ask him to compose an impromptu poem. Yu Youwei held her chin with her hands and meditated for a while. After a while, she quickly wrote a poem on a piece of flower paper: "The green color extends to the deserted shore, and the smoke enters the distant building; the shadows cover the spring water, and the flowers fall on the heads of people. . The roots are hidden in fish caves, and the branches are tied to guest boats; On a stormy night, the dream is filled with sorrow." Wen Tingyun recited the poem repeatedly, feeling that both the wording, the rhyme and the artistic conception were rare. The best work. Such a poem was written by a little girl in an instant, which could not help but impress this talented poet. Wen admired Xuanji's intelligence very much, and deeply felt that the little girl's poor living environment was not commensurate with her talent, and he felt affection for her. From then on, he often visited Yu's house and taught poetry and poetry carefully, becoming the teacher and friend of this "poet boy".
Soon after, Li Yi, a member of a famous family in Jiangling, came to Beijing to take up the official position of Zuo Buqian, which he had won because of Zu Yin. He admired Yu Youwei's talent and appearance, fell in love with her at first sight, and fell in love with her again. After Yu Youwei became Li's concubine, the two had a tender relationship and lived a harmonious and happy life. However, Li Yi's wife, Pei, was jealous of Xuanji. The henpecked Li Yi was forced to write a letter of divorce and reluctantly kicked Xuanji out. This charming woman was ruthlessly abandoned after her marriage only lasted a few months. Desperate, Xuanji had to go to Chang'an Xianyi Temple to become a female temple. In fact, after she and Li Yi separated, they were still deeply in love. Unfortunately, his wife's control was very strict, and the power of the Pei family spread throughout the capital, so Li Yi did not dare to visit Xuanji. She had no choice but to face the ancient Buddha at the green lantern alone, silently swallowing her tears of lovesickness, and expressing her longing for her lover with pen and ink. In this way, three years passed in deep longing and waiting. The infatuated Xuanji accidentally learned from the conversation of the guests that her long-awaited lover Li Yi had left Beijing with his beloved wife to serve as an official in Yangzhou. Went. Hearing these words, mysteries felt as if they were struck by five thunders, and all my affection was in vain. True love cannot be replaced by a misfortune! From then on, she saw through the world of mortals, enjoyed herself in time, no longer fantasized about love, and embarked on a bohemian life path.
Taoist temples in the Tang Dynasty were generally used as places for sightseeing and socializing. Most of the female crowns in the temples in the capital liked to compose poems, chant to entertain themselves, or sing with others, and Yu Xuanji was certainly the best among them. One day, she posted a red paper notice outside the temple saying "Yu Xuanji Poetry and Prose is waiting to be taught". This was undoubtedly a banner, and within a few days, the news spread throughout Chang'an. Literati and romantic young men who considered themselves to be somewhat talented went to Xianyiguan to visit Yu Xuanji one after another. They talked about poems and essays, chatted and joked with each other until the sky was dark, and Yu Xuanji's fame spread more and more widely. This kind of romantic life seems to be leisurely and beautiful on the surface, but in fact it is Yu Xuanji's resistance to his unhappy marriage. She is tired of everything in the world and wants to break away from the shackles of the world. Along with this is the subtle change in her psychology that this kind of life has brought to her. There is a beautiful maid named Luqiao beside Yu Xuanji. It is recorded in the history books that one day when Yu Xuanji was out on business, his good boyfriend Chen Wei came to visit, and Lu Qiao received him in the temple. After Xuanji came back, he suspected that the maid was having an affair with Chen Wei. He was so jealous that when he whipped Lu Qiao, he accidentally beat him to death. Human life was at stake, and it was impossible to escape and survive. In the end, he was executed by Jingzhao Yin Wenzhang. Yu Xuanji, who was only twenty-six years old, ended her miserable life in such a hurry.
Yu Xuanji's poetic rhythm is recited every time; his good aphorisms are often circulated among scholars. She had contacts with many literati and celebrities at that time. She was a mentor and friend with the famous poet Wen Tingyun, and exchanged poems with each other; , the official served as the imperial censor) lived in the same alley, and lived close to each other, and poems and slips came and went from time to time; there were often some romantic people who visited with wine, played the piano and composed poems during the banquet, they were elegant and suave, and Yu Xuanji was rewarded in this regard. The gift of poetry is the most outstanding. When Ru Xuanji was young, Wen Tingyun left Chang'an and went to Xiangyang to serve as an aide to the governor Xu Jian.
In the cool autumn, when the leaves are falling, Yu Weiwei misses her old friends far away, and writes a five-character poem "Send to Fei Qing from afar":
The steps are in chaos, the cicadas are singing, the smoke in the tingke is clear, and the neighboring music is playing in the middle of the month. , the sun is shining brightly upstairs.
The cool breeze is blowing on the pillow, and the ballads and harps are filled with resentment; Mr. Ji is too lazy to write a gift, but the material comforts the autumn mood?
Perhaps due to the huge age difference, or perhaps due to self-consciousness (it is said that Wen's appearance is extremely ugly), although Wen Tingyun loves Yu Youwei very much, he has always controlled his feelings within the boundaries of teacher, student or friend, and did not dare to Take another step forward. Yu Youwei, who had just begun to fall in love, had already secretly attached her love to her teacher. After Wen Tingyun left, she expressed her loneliness and lovesickness through poetry for the first time. The poems are romantic and touching, true and sincere. After the poem was sent, there was no reply from the wild geese. In the blink of an eye, autumn turned to winter, the sycamore leaves fell, and the winter nights were desolate. With the resentful feelings of a girl, Yu Youwei wrote the heart-wrenching and weeping "Winter Nights to Wen Feiqing". 》:
I searched hard for poems and chanted them under the lamp, I stayed up all night long and was afraid of the cold quilt; the leaves in the courtyard were filled with worry about the wind blowing, and I cherished the setting moon through the screens.
The evacuation is unheard and the wish is finally followed. The ups and downs are empty and the original heart is seen; the sycamore tree is secluded, and the evening bird chirps around the forest.
In Yu Xuanji’s poems, all the greetings to friends are expressed openly in singing without any need to cover them up. For example, "I heard that Li Duangong went fishing and sent gifts back": "I feel inferior to the mandarin duck couple, but I still have to go fishing together at the beach"; "Beautiful Resentment": "Spring comes and autumn comes and I miss you, but when autumn comes and spring comes, there are few messages"; "Feelings to Send to Friends in Late Spring" ": "The orioles are frightened and dreaming, and the old appearance is changed with light makeup"; "Rewarding Scholar Li to Send Tan": "Only the love of the cloud fan is similar, and the same love bed hates the early autumn"; "Autumn Thoughts": "Don't hate the heartless friend if you let yourself go. , nourish one's nature and throw away the waves of suffering" and so on. In these poems, she expresses her passionate and deep thoughts and feelings. There were not many female writers in ancient times who boldly opened up their minds like this. However, this kind of "indulging in indulgence" was considered to be "disordering etiquette and corrupting customs", which caused various criticisms from the society at that time.
Yu Xuanji’s works about the thoughts of his children are quite vivid and lively, and his expressions are sincere and forthright. Especially some of his love poems are quite bold and contain deep feelings. For example, "Spring Love Sends Love to the Child" about missing her husband:
The mountain road is full of sloping rocks. Don’t worry about traveling and missing lovesickness.
I pity Qingyun in the distant stream, and miss the jade beauty in the distant cold peak.
Don’t listen to Fan Ge’s spring illness and wine. Hugh invites leisure guests to play chess at night.
Rusong bandit and stone leader are here. Biyi Lianjin will be willing to be late.
Although I hate walking alone at the end of winter. The final meeting is when the moon is full.
What can I give you as a gift? I shed tears and write a poem in the sunshine.
This is a wonderful poem that is full of emotions and sadness. The first couplet describes the pain of lovesickness by walking hard on rugged mountain roads and dangerous cliffs; the second couplet uses the association of ice and snow scenery to narrate Li Zian's charm and demeanor; the third couplet expresses tactful greetings to the beloved through the thoughts of food and daily life; The fourth and fifth couplets are based on loyalty and hope for a happy ending. Through this thoughtful and tearful poem, we can easily see how pitiful the painful experience and desolate mood of a talented woman at the bottom of feudal society are!
Among Yu Xuanji’s existing works, there are many poems sent to his lover Li Yi, and the feelings are particularly deep. For example:
You will not be sad when you are drunk, and you will not be able to untie all the knots in your intestines;
Cymbidiums will be gone and returned to the garden, and willows will accompany guest boats from east to west.
Gathering and separation have become uncertain, and thoughts and feelings must learn to flow;
When there are flowers, it is difficult to find them, so I am willing to be intoxicated in the Jade Tower.
——"Ji Zi'an"
Drinking ice and taking medicine has no effect, Jin's kettle is closed in a dream;
Qin Jing wants to share his worries and falls into a magpie, Shun Qin had to complain about Feiming.
The tung leaves beside the well sing in the autumn rain, and the silver lamp under the window dims the morning breeze;
The letter is boundless and where to go, holding the pole against the blue sky of the river.
——"Send to Li Zian"
These poems are profound and meaningful, which can be said to be the heartbreaking sound of "all the sails are worth it". This tragic woman of the late Tang Dynasty, in a Su Yi waited impatiently, but failed to reunite with her beloved. Her famous poem "Jianling is sad and looking forward to sending children to peace" is still recited by people today:
The maple leaves have thousands of branches, and the river bridges cover the evening sails;
Recalling the king is like a heart. The water of the Xijiang River flows eastward day and night without rest.
The first sentence evokes sadness with the autumn scenery of Jiangling. When the maples grow on the river and the west wind blows, the sound of the forest rustling can easily touch people's emotions. "Thousands of branches after thousands of branches" refers to the abundance of maple leaves to describe the weight of sadness; in the second sentence, looking far into the distance, I saw the river bridge hidden in the maple forest. It was already dusk, but I did not see the man returning by boat. The word "shadow" means that the maple leaves cover the eyes, which conveys the anxious and unbearable expression of the person in the poem. The first two sentences are about hoping that the person will not come, and the last two sentences are about the feeling of lovesickness. The metaphor of the never-ending river water is compared to the never-ending love-sickness, which is exactly the same as the metaphor in Jian'an poet Xu Qian's famous poem "Sitting in the Chamber". "Xijiang" and "Eastward flow", "can't be stated clearly, but they are just what people want" ("Xiang Qilou Poetry"), which reminds people of Li Empress of the Southern Tang Dynasty: "asking you how much sorrow you can have is just like the spring water of a river." The famous saying "flows eastward" comes from. The second line of this poem is "The bridge over the river reflects the sails at dusk". The Southern Song Dynasty version is "The bridge over the river reflects the sails at dusk". Researchers believe that the latter is better.
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I am ashamed of the sun and cover my sleeves, and I am too lazy to put on makeup in spring;
It is easy to find priceless treasures, but it is rare to find a lover.
There are tears on the pillow, and the hearts are broken among the flowers;
Why hate Wang Chang when I can see Song Yu.
The whole poem describes herself as a "neighbor girl". The first couplet writes that the neighbor girl was abandoned by a "thin lover" and covered her face with "luo sleeves", shy of seeing the sun. Full of "spring sorrow" and too lazy to dress up; the second couplet is the inner monologue of the neighbor girl, which is extremely painful. It is also the poet's self-injury and lamentation about "it is hard to find a confidant"; the three couplets further describe the infinite sadness; the last couplet is based on the story of "climbing the wall to observe the minister for three years" in Song Yu's "The Lustful Odyss of the Disciple" The woman said to herself. But this conceited talented woman is still a bit reserved. During the Wei and Jin Dynasties, Wang Chang was a man with "handsome appearance and handsome appearance, which is known to be highly praised by the world", and he secretly admired Li Yi here. A kind of resentment curves out from the strange peaks between the lines: I will definitely find a caring confidant, why should I blame the person who once loved but abandoned me?
Most of the lyrical poems written by ancient female poets were good at writing about sadness, and Yu Xuanji is no exception. The love she pursued "when the moon is full" was ultimately unavailable, and she fell into inextricable depression and sorrow. Her poem "Autumn Resentment" writes:
It is enough to feel sad when you feel sentimental, especially when the wind and moonlight fill the garden in autumn.
The bridal chamber is close to the sound of the night watch, and I want to grow old in front of the lamp every night.
Similar verses about sadness can be found everywhere in the collection of Yu Xuanji. Like "The Willows by the River": "On a windy and rainy night, the frightened dreams add sorrow." It is closely related to the personal situation and is deeply touching. "Gift to the Neighbor": "Tears are shed on the pillow, and the heart is broken among the flowers"; "Friends are not able to stop the rain": "I miss my hometown and mourn the autumn guests, and melancholy recite a five-character poem"; "The Event in Late Spring": "The street is near the drum. The noise of the drones makes me sleep at dawn, and the chattering of magpies in the courtyard confuses the sorrow of spring." "Mourning on behalf of others": "I am engaged in dreams and sad misty rainy nights, and I can't bear to sing in the loneliness." And "Sending Fragrance to the Country": "Looking at the rolling mountains and bead curtains, sorrow comes with the fresh grass." You can all get a glimpse of his sad state of mind "wanting to grow old in front of the lamp every night". As Wan Man said in "Records of Collections of the Tang Dynasty": "Xuanji is good at chanting and has a beautiful style. Although it is somewhat sentimental, it is gentle and elegant, and it is full of sadness. There are only a few collections of women." See evil!" Overall, her poems have profound meaning, beautiful scenery, clear and graceful, and full of sentiment.
Yu Xuanji's sorrow is not limited to aspects such as "farewell", "autumn thoughts", "sorrow" and "girlfriend resentment" in her love life. In her career, she hates that she cannot be a man. Give full play to your talents, and once you are named on the gold list, you can show your talents in the officialdom. She wrote in the poem "Visiting the South Tower of Chongzhen Temple to See the New and Titled Place": "I hate myself for covering up my poems with my robes, and I raise my head in vain to envy the names on the list." Said: "Looking at his strong ambition, he is a man who must have useful talents." She recited in the poem "Selling Broken Peonies": "The price should be high, no one cares about it, but the fate is so fragrant that it is difficult for a butterfly to kiss her." It clearly shows the sadness of not being able to appreciate talents and "sighing in the face of the wind", which shows that he has an extraordinary attitude.
It should also be mentioned that there is a poem called "Playing Ball" in Yu Xuanji's collection of poems, which can be regarded as a poem describing the ancient sport of playing ball. His poem is as follows:
A solid and smooth stream of stars, the moon stick is still struggling to beat.
If there is no obstruction, just fiddle with it. If there is any obstruction, let it be hooked.
He goes on and on without hesitation, but he is afraid that the end will not come to an end.
After all, it’s time to get started, and I hope you strive for the best.
The poet wrote about "playing ball", also known as "polo". She wrote about the wooden ball like "a star stream", the batting stick with a crescent-shaped head, and the wooden ball with a stick. ball scene. After the ball is hit into the goal, one point is scored, which is recorded as a "chip", and the one who scores more points is called a "high chip". The whole poem is lively and interesting, and endlessly thought-provoking.
Yu Xuanji's poems survive in the world One volume contains 49 poems, and the engraving of the Southern Song Dynasty is now in the collection of the Beijing Library. In addition, there is a poem "Breaking Willows" by Yu Xuanji in the "Wenyuan Yinghua", which is not included in the collection. There are 50 poems by Yu Xuanji in the Beijing Library. The Song version of "Tang Girl Yu Xuanji's Poems" in the museum was engraved by Chen Qi and Chen Jieyuan's bookstore in the Song Dynasty. The end of the volume is engraved with "The book store of Chenzhao in the south of Muqinfang in the north of Lin'an Prefecture". This version was successively printed by Zhu Chengjue in the Ming Dynasty. , Xiang Yuanbian and other bibliophiles. In the 8th year of Jiaqing in the Qing Dynasty, it was acquired by the great bibliophile Huang Pilie. In the 5th year of the Republic of China, it fell into the hands of Yuan Kewen and was later collected by Beitu.