Nalan Ci Annotation Softcover

Author: Zhang Bingshu
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-05-01
Features: When people mention the works of Nalan Xinde, the first thing that comes to mind is his love poems. Indeed, love poems can be said to be the most distinctive and representative works of Nalan Xinde's poetry. These works not only occupy more than one-third of his total poetry but are also the essence of his entire collection, crafted with the poet's heart, tears, and ink. As former scholars described Nalan Xinde's poetry as "melancholy yet beautiful," using these four words as a general assessment of his love poems is still quite appropriate. Love is an indispensable part of human life, and it is also a timeless theme in literary and artistic works, a fact universally acknowledged and needing no further explanation. However, love manifests itself in countless different ways for each individual—,, and so on. How was Nalan Xinde's love life and his love poems? Professor Huang Tianji described them as "rosy and gray." Indeed, Nalan Xinde's love life and his love poems were just that—more disappointment than joy, more tears than happiness, filled with sorrow, sadness, and grievances. Although we can also find a few poems that depict the joy of love, such as "Xianxi Sha" (Eighteen Years in This World), which portrays the beauty and charm of his wife Lu Shi and expresses the poet's boundless love and admiration for her; or "Xianxi Sha" (Quickly Brushing Light Skin to Paint the) and "Yan'er Mei" (Reunion with the Starry Lady in the Blue Sea), which describe the joy of reuniting with his beloved wife after separation, and so on, such works are indeed scarce. On the other hand, his poems that express the pain of love, depict sorrow, and tears are everywhere to be seen. Among them, the works that most move the heart and stir emotions are his poems in memory of the deceased.