This poem examines the love tragedy of Tang Xuanzong and Yang Guifei in the context of the tragic experiences of the common people, emphasizing that the suffering of the general public is far beyond that of the imperial concubines. The first two sentences express the poet's deep sympathy for the sufferings of the lower class people; the last two sentences reveal the reality that various misfortunes in society force many couples to be unable to reunite.
Original poem:
Don’t sing the song of eternal regret, for there is also a Milky Way in the world.
When couples say goodbye in Shihao Village, they shed more tears than in the Palace of Eternal Life.
Translation:
There is no need to sing about the joys and sorrows of the emperor's concubine; there is also a Milky Way in the world, which separated thousands of couples.
There are countless couples saying goodbye like that in Shihao Village, and the tears of the common people are much more than the few tears shed on the Palace of Eternal Life.
Extended information:
1. Creation background
This poem was written in the 17th year of Qianlong’s reign in the Qing Dynasty (1752). The author was on his way to work in Shaanxi while writing the following poem at the same time: There are three other works of the same name. The Anshi Rebellion occurred in the 14th year of Tianbao in the Tang Dynasty (765). When Tang Xuanzong fled from Kyoto Chang'an to Sichuan and passed through Maweipo, the imperial army mutinied, killed Prime Minister Yang Guozhong, and forced Tang Xuanzong to order Concubine Yang to hang herself. Poets of all ages have written about this historical event.
The most famous one is Bai Juyi's long narrative poem "Song of Everlasting Sorrow". The poet remembered history and naturally thought of "Song of Everlasting Sorrow" and wrote this poem to express his emotions.
2. Literary Appreciation
The story of the joys and sorrows between Tang Xuanzong Li Longji and his imperial concubine Yang Yuhuan has aroused the poetic sentiments of many literati. Bai Juyi's "Song of Everlasting Sorrow" not only reveals the political tragedy caused by Emperor Xuanzong's favoring Yang Guifei, but also expresses his sympathy for the love tragedy of the two.
Yuan Mei's poem was able to break away from the clichés and create new ideas. He examined the love tragedy of Li and Yang in the context of the tragic experiences of the common people, emphasizing that the suffering of the general public was far beyond that of the emperor's concubine. "Song of Everlasting Sorrow" and "Shi Hao Li" are famous poems, and their creation background was the Anshi Rebellion. One of them takes the life of the emperor as the theme, and the other takes the suffering of the common people as the main theme, which constitutes a sharp contrast.
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