Li Shangyin Collection

Author: Zhang Qiang / Liu Haining
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-01-01
Features:
Last night's stars, last night's wind,
Painted tower west, cassia hall east.
Without the paired wings of a colorful phoenix,
Yet the heart has a subtle connection at a glance.
Across seats, sending hooks, spring wine warm,
Divided teams, shooting covers, candlelight red.
Alas, I hear the drum and must go to the office,
Riding to the Orchid Terrace like drifting reeds.
— Li Shangyin, "Untitled"
Meeting is hard, parting is also hard,
The east wind is weak, and the flowers are withered.
The silkworm dies, but the silk is not exhausted,
The candle burns out, tears only dry.
Looking in the morning mirror, I only worry about the clouds changing my hair,
Singing at night should feel the moonlight cold.
This road to Mount Peng is not long,
The blue bird is diligent to inquire.
— Li Shangyin, "Untitled"
Li Shangyin (c. 813–c. 858) was a Tang Dynasty poet. His courtesy name was Yishan, and he was also known as Yuksi Sheng and Fan Nanzi. His original hometown was He'ni (now Qinyang, Henan), and his ancestors moved to Xingyang (now part of Henan). He initially studied classical prose. He was appreciated by Linghu Chu of the Ox Party and joined his entourage, studying parallel prose. In the second year of Kaicheng (837), with Linghu's help, he passed the imperial examination. The following year, he joined the entourage of Wang Maoyuan, the military governor of Jingyuan under the Li Party. Wang loved his talent and married his daughter to him. As a result, he was excluded by the Ox Party and wandered among the entourages of various fiefdoms, achieving little success throughout his life. About 600 of Li Shangyin's poems survive. His political poems are full of sentiments and satire, showing depth and breadth. Many of his poems directly touch on current affairs, especially "A Hundred Rhymes Written at West Suburbs," which traces the rise and fall of the Tang Dynasty over 200 years from the scene of rural devastation and the suffering of the people. Its style is close to that of Du Fu. "Stanza in Anping Castle" and the four poems mourning Liu Zhu reflect his political ambitions and indignation. His historical poems, which use ancient history to critique the present, have achieved great success. These poems often satirize the debauchery and misrule of emperors of past dynasties or the current era, while others use historical themes to express his own feelings of being underappreciated. These poems are mostly regulated quatrains, capturing specific scenes from history and embellishing them, achieving an artistic effect of seeing the big in the small and conveying profound meaning with subtle words. Famous works include "Two Poems of the Sui Palace" and "The Southern Dynasties." His lyrical poems are deeply emotional and delicate, with a strong sense of melancholy, such as "The setting sun is infinitely beautiful, but it is near dusk" ("Ascending Leiyuan Terrace"). Li's lyrical poems rarely express emotions directly but instead focus on conveying meaning through subtlety. His poems often carry deep sentiments and leave a lasting impression. However, subtlety sometimes makes them obscure and difficult to understand. His descriptive poems are precise in depicting objects and meticulous in their portrayal, able to express the inner spirit of things and the author's emotions through the of typical characteristics and the of the atmosphere. The "Untitled" poems are Li Shangyin's unique creation. Most of them are on the theme of love and longing between men and women, with emotions that are subtle and profound, and elegant and exquisite wording. For example, the two poems "Last night's stars, last night's wind" and "Meeting is hard, parting is also hard." Some also use metaphors for friendships and personal reflections, such as the two poems "Waiting for the arrival of the moon has already fallen" and "Where is the mournful zither following the urgent pipes." Others have unclear themes. Additionally, there are a few poems with lewd and frivolous content. These poems were not written at one time or place and do not follow a unified theme. They often belong to situations where the meaning is too subtle to be expressed directly or where the thoughts are too complex to be articulated, hence the name "Untitled." Due to their obscurity and subtlety, interpretations have varied for thousands of years. The basic style of Li Shangyin's poetry is deep emotions and elegant wording, often carrying a sense of melancholy amidst beauty, and remaining profound amidst grace. His poetry has had a profound influence on later poetic and lyrical traditions. His poetic inheritance is broad. His regulated quatrains are his highest achievement, inheriting the precision and rhythm of Du Fu while also blending the charm of poetry from the Qi and Liang dynasties, the clarity of folk songs from the Six Dynasties, and the fantastical and symbolic techniques of Li He. His lyrical style, with its hidden meanings, was influenced by Ruan Ji. Some long classical poems, like "Stanza on Han Stele," resemble Han Yu's ballads. Some lyrical and descriptive short poems are naturally elegant and graceful, retaining the charm of Tang Dynasty. Li Shangyin was a representative writer of parallel prose in late Tang Dynasty. His parallel prose is well-structured, precise in the use of allusions, balanced in density and looseness, and has a natural rhythm.