Nalan Ci Jian

Author: Zhang Bingshu
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-05-01
Features: When it comes to the works of Nalan, people first think of his love poems. Indeed, love poems can be said to be the most distinctive and representative works of Nalan, embodying his personality. These works not only occupy more than one-third of Nalan's total works but are also the essence of his poetry, crafted from the poet's heart, tears, and ink. As the ancients said, "sorrowful yet beautiful," using these four words as a general assessment of his love poems is quite appropriate. Love is an indispensable part of human life, and it is also an eternal theme in literary and artistic works, a fact universally acknowledged and needing no further explanation. However, love manifests in countless different ways for each individual—,, and so on. How was the love life of Nalan Xingde and his love poems? Professor Huang Tianji described and summarized them as "rosy and gray." Indeed, Xingde's love life and his love poems were just that—more disappointment than joy, more tears than happiness, sorrowful, melancholic, and filled with grievances. Although we can also see 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 tenderness and admiration for her; "Xianxi Sha" (Quickly Brushing Light Features to Depict the), "Yan'er Mei" (Reunion with the Starry Lady in the Azure Sea), 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 deeply move the heart and stir emotions are his poems mourning the deceased.