Red Chamber Girls' Blossoms

Author: Fang Mingguang, Ding Lisha / Country: Mainland China
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2006-06-01
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"Never Blame the East Wind, Blame Yourself Alone"
—Pink Hibiscus
Lin Daiyu, the Peony Blossom in the Forest, sees the spring red fade too swiftly.
"Alas, the morning rain chills, the evening wind blows cold."
"The blush of her tears, lingering in the wine,
When will they meet again?
Life is long, and sorrow flows like a river."
—Li Yu of the Southern Tang Dynasty, "Meeting in Joy"
Goethe once wrote in Faust:
"The eternal goddess guides us forward."
Dream of the Red Chamber not only weaves a tragedy of family and society but also introduces Lin Daiyu, a goddess of profound sorrow, deep pain, and ice-pure jade-like purity. Compared to the beautiful and licentious women in Golden Lotus Chamber, Daiyu is like a clear spring, endowing the love between men and women in the feudal society with all its beauty and freshness. Compared to the beautiful women in Romance of the Three Kingdoms, who are merely tools for men's power struggles, Daiyu offers the full measure of love a woman in the feudal society can give—like a morning light in a dark kingdom, illuminating the entire dim and loveless sky, or like a lantern of love, pointing far away toward gender equality and free love that could only be realized in another era.
When Daiyu first arrived at the Jia Mansion, she caused a sensation. Fengjie was amazed upon seeing her:
"Truly, such a beautiful person exists in the world! I have never seen anything like her today!"
To Baoyu, she was even more enchanting:
"Two brows like those of a woman who frowns yet does not,
Two eyes like those of a woman who smiles yet does not.
A sorrow in her cheeks, a sickness in her body.
Tears drop lightly, breaths are soft.
At rest, she is like a delicate flower in water;
In motion, like a willow in the wind.
Her heart is deeper than that of Bi Gan by one notch,
Her illness is more exquisite than that of Xi Shi by three points." (Chapter 34)
Cao Xueqin endowed Daiyu with the delicate and tender beauty of Xi Shi, who pined with her heart hidden behind her hand. Seeing her brows slightly furrowed, Baoyu gave her the courtesy name "Pinyin," further highlighting her graceful and elegant charm. Daiyu was not only beautiful and ethereal but also exceptionally talented, with a heart as refined as orchids and a mind as pure as jade—"her heart is deeper than that of Bi Gan by one notch." Cao Xueqin used ample ink to describe Daiyu's unparalleled poetic talent. The line in her judgment poem, "Truly pitiable, her skill in composing like Xie Daoyun," directly compares her to the talented woman of the Jin Dynasty, Xie Daoyun. Xie Daoyun once described snowflakes swirling in the wind as "like willow catkins carried by the breeze," earning her praise from the world, and Daiyu's poetic elegance surpassed even hers.
Daiyu was well-read and knowledgeable, skilled in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Despite the many talented women in the Grand View Garden, Daiyu stood out as the leader of their group. During the princess's visit, Daiyu composed a poem for Baoyu titled "Peach Blossoms in View," which Baoyu thought was "ten times better" than his own three poems, and the princess herself praised it as "the best of the three" (Chapter 18). At poetry gatherings, her works were admired for their elegance, freshness, and charm, often winning first place. For example, her poem "Ode to White Magnolia" transcends conventional beauty, with lines like "Stealing three points of pear's fragrance, borrowing a strand of plum's soul" being particularly vivid, and "Shyly, silently, to whom can she confide?" (Chapter 37) expressing the unspoken sorrows of a young woman. Her "Ode to Chrysanthemums" surpassed all others, winning first place, with lines like "The whole paper is filled with self-pity, yet who can understand my autumn heart?" (Chapter 38) expressing her feelings through the proud chrysanthemum, and "Alone, proud of the world, for whom to hide? The same flowers bloom, yet why are they late?" further showcasing her aloof and noble character. Her "Lyrical Ballad of Willow Fluff—Tang Daling" is poignant and moving, with lines like "Plants also know sorrow, yet youth turns to white hair!
Alas, who will abandon or take me in this life?
Married to the east wind, spring pays no heed.
Let you go, let you linger in sorrow." (Chapter 70) Through the poetry of willow fluff, she expresses her grief over her unfortunate fate and her sorrow over her hopeless love.
Other poems like "Autumn Window in Rain and Wind," "Ballad of Peach Blossoms," and "Verses on Five Beauties" are equally exquisite, each a pearl of literature, deeply moving in their emotion and imagery.
Daiyu was quick-witted, often composing poems effortlessly and perfectly. Perhaps only those with delicate minds can fully immerse themselves in the world of poetry, and it was this poetic grace and artistic charm that lifted her from the gloom, greyness, and of life, allowing her to live poetically in that precarious Jia Mansion.
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