The poems currently attributed to Cai Yan include the five-character "Poetry of Sorrow and Indignation", the Sao style "Poetry of Sorrow and Indignation", "Eighteen Beats of Hujia", etc.
"Poetry of Sorrow and Indignation" is a five-character ancient poem, an autobiographical poem in Sao style, written by Cai Yan, a writer of the Eastern Han Dynasty. The whole poem has 108 lines, totaling 540 words. The first forty sentences of this poem describe the reasons for being captured and the sufferings of being captured on the way to the pass. The second forty sentences describe life in the southern Xiongnu, the mixture of sorrow and joy upon hearing the news of being redeemed, and the pain of parting with "Beard". The last twenty-eight sentences describe the journey home and what he saw and felt when he got home. "Eighteen Beats of Hujia" is a famous Chinese guqin song, said to be composed by Cai Wenji. It is one of the top ten famous songs in ancient China.
Introduction to Cai Yan
The four most talented women in ancient China are Cai Wenji, Li Qingzhao, Shangguan Wan'er, and Zhuo Wenjun. They are famous women in China. They are talented and possess both ability and political integrity. Many future generations yearn for and admire these women.
Cai Yan, whose real name is Zhaoji, was called Wenji in Jin Dynasty to avoid Sima Zhao. A native of Yuxian County, Chenliu County (now Qixian County, Henan Province), she was a female writer in the Eastern Han Dynasty and the daughter of the writer Cai Yong. Erudite and talented, he is good at literature, music and calligraphy. She first married Wei Zhongdao and returned home after her husband died. At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, there was great chaos in the Central Plains. The Southern Xiongnu who originally surrendered to the Han Dynasty took the opportunity to rebel. Cai Wenji was captured by the Xiongnu King Zuoxian and gave birth to two children. After Cao Cao unified the north, he spent a lot of money to redeem her and marry her to Dong Si.