Walking into the world of Li Yu①

河南大學

高繼海

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Walking into the world of Li Yu①

河南大學

高繼海

Li Yu’s Life

Li Yu was born on the 7thof July, 937 AD according to the traditional Chinese calendar. That day is the day when, according to Chinese legends, lovers meet. Three months after his birth, his grandfather, Li Bian, became the emperor of Southern Tang. Southern Tang in the hand of Li Bian grew strong gradually. But when Li Bian died and Li Yu’s father Li Jing succeeded as emperor in the year 943, things changed. Li Jing was not interested in running the country, or he lacked the ability to manage the state affairs. He had talents in literature and arts, not in state craftsmanship. During his reign from 943 to 961, Southern Tang lost lands and became smaller in territory and weak in economy and politics.

As the sixth son, Li Yu had no hope to become emperor, but four of his elder brothers died early, and his eldest brother, the potential emperor Hong Ji, poisoned his third uncle in the power struggle for the throne, and in consequence incurred the displeasure of his father. Hong Ji soon died of remorse and disappointment. So when Li Jing died in the year 961, Li Yu became the emperor of Southern Tang.

In the year 954, at the age of 17, Li Yu married E Huang, daughter of the Prime Minister of Southern Tang, aged 18 then. According to historical records, E Huang was extremely beautiful and talented. She could paint pictures, compose music, play Pipa, a Chinese musical instrument, and write poems. The couple spent 10 years life of happiness till the death of E Huang in 964.

It is said that E Huang’s younger sister Jia Min came to visit them while E Huang was ill, and Li Yu fell in love with Jia Min. E Huang was saddened by learning their secret love and the sudden and unexpected death of their second son accelerated her illness. She died brokenhearted at the age of 28.

Li Yu wished to marry Jia Min, but the death of his mother in 965 prevented him from doing so. According to the customs, he had to give up all kinds of amusement and celebration for three years in observation of his mother’s death. So only four years later after the death of E Huang did Li Yu marry her younger sister, and he gave her a very big ceremony to celebrate the occasion. He was 32 and she 18, the same age when E Huang got married.

Scholars call E Huang the Elder Empress and her sister the Younger Empress, and agree that Li Yu’s love for the younger never surpassed the elder. The 10 years Li Yu spent with E Huang were the brightest time in his life while the 10 years he spent with Jia Min were clouded by the constant care and worry brought about by the military as well as political threats of the Song dynasty.

Li Yu committed a series of mistakes in the policy towards Song dynasty, supporting the officials in favour of appeasement, killing the most ferocious general who proposed military confrontation against Song invasion. He became a pious Buddhist and built many Buddhist monasteries which weakened the labor and military power. He had been an escapist from the very beginning of his life, and he continued to indulge himself in the pleasure-seeking life with his second wife as he had been spending with his first, when the Song Emperor was scheming to conquer his land by force.

In October 974, the Song army besieged Nanjing, the capital city of Southern Tang. Due to the different climates and other reasons, including the fearless resistance of the army, the capital city stood till November 975, when the city fell and Li Yu was taken prisoner. History books record that he had planned to die by burning when the city fell, but was dissuaded by his officials to save the lives of city people. General Cao Bin, the head of Song army, treated him with courtesy, kindly cautioning him to take more money and treasure with him, which he ignored.

Li Yu arrived in Kaifeng, the capital city of Northern Song, in January 976, and was allowed to stay in a courtyard to the north of the city. The place was later named “the village of deposed Southern Tang Emperor”, with a small and dense wood around. In October 976, the first Song Emperor died, and his younger brother succeeded. Scholars suspect that the first Emperor was poisoned to death by his younger brother, in the so called “axe moving in the candle light”, a historical mystery like the disappearance of the two princes in the Tower of London around the years of 1483 to 1485.

Comparing with the first Emperor of Song, the second Emperor read more avidly and had been called a ruler with knowledge. When Li Yu asked for financial assistance, the second Emperor readily granted. But the second Emperor frequently called Li Yu’s wife to stay in court for days, and when she came back, she was always in tears, blaming Li Yu for suffering so miserable and unbearable life. Li Yu knew what happened to his wife, but he could do nothing.

From emperor to prisoner, and from luxury to misery, such a change of life was bearable to nobody. In the last two and half years of his life, Li Yu came to taste the bitterness of life both physically and spiritually. He wrote several nostalgiacipoems to express his longing for the past glory and his regret for his failure as an emperor. On his 41stbirthday he held a party and ordered his former palace girls to sing and dance to the tunes of his newly composedcipoems. The second Emperor, learning of the news, especially the contents of thecipoems, was convinced that Li Yu wished to restore his lost land and glory. He sent his younger brother with poisoned liquor to Li Yu’s lodging, in the name of celebrating his birthday. Li Yu drank thankfully and died in pain. His second wife died of grief soon and was buried together with him.

Li Yu’s Ci Poems

Researchers believe that Li Yu left about 40cipoems, classifying them into three groups: poems recording the splendor and luxurious royal life in his court, poems showing his love for his wife, and poems expressing his agony and pain at surrendering his land and position to the Song Emperor.

For the first group we give two examples.

(1)浣溪沙

紅日已高三丈透，

金爐次第添香獸，

紅錦地衣隨步皺。

佳人舞點金釵溜，

酒惡時拈花蕊嗅，

別殿遙聞簫鼓奏。

Silk Washing Stream

Abovethethirty-foot-highflagpolesshinesthesun,

Incenseisaddedtogoldburnersonebyone,

Redcarpetswrinkleaseachdancingstepisdone.

Fairdancersletgoldhairpinsdropwithrhythmfleet,

Drunk, maidens often inhale the smell of flowers sweet,

From hall to hall flute’s heard to play and drum to beat.

(2)玉樓春

晚妝初了明肌雪，

春殿嬪娥魚貫列。

笙簫吹斷水云開，

重按霓裳歌遍徹。

臨風誰更飄香屑，

醉拍闌干情味切。

歸時休放燭花紅，

待踏馬蹄清夜月。

Spring in Jade Pavilion

Inspringthepalacemaidslineuprowafterrow,

Theireveningdressrevealingtheirskinbrightassnow.

Thetunestheyplayontheflutesreachthewavesandcloud,

WithsongsofRainbowDressoncemoretheairisloud.

Whowantstospreadmorefragrancebeforefragrantspring,

Whendrunk, I beat on rails as vibrates my heartstring.

Don’t light on my returning way a candle red,

As I would like see the hoofs reflect moonlight they tread.

Thetwopoemsdescribethesplendor,luxuryandextravagancesofLiYu’scourtlylifeintheearlyperiodofhisreign.

Nowwe’lldiscusshislovepoems.

(3)一斛珠

曉妝初過，沉檀輕注些兒個。

向人微露丁香顆。

一曲清歌，暫引櫻桃破。

羅袖裛殘殷色可，杯深旋被香醪涴。

繡床斜憑嬌無那，爛嚼紅茸，笑向檀郎唾。

A Casket of Pearls

Donninghermorningdress, she drips some drops of sandalwood stain on her lips,

Which, cherry red, suddenly open flung, reveal her tiny clove-like tongue.

She sings a song in her voice clear.

Careless about her gauze sleeves soiled with crimson stain,

She fills her cup with fragrant wine again.

Drunken and indolent, she leans across her bed,

And chewing bits of bastings red,

She spits them with a smile upon her master dear.

Criticsdisagreeontheidentityofthewomaninthepoem.Somescholarstakehertobeasinggirlinapleasureseekingbrothel,andLiYuvisitedsuchagirlindisguiseandrecordedhisexperiencethere,whileothercriticsbelievethewomaninthepoemisLiYu’swifeEHuang,andthispoemrecordstheirsweetlifetogether.Iagreetothelatteropinion.

Upper-classwomeninthattimemakeuptwice,onceinthemorning,onceintheevening.Forthemorningmakeup,EHuangusessomethinglikelipstickonherlip,hermouthopensslightly.ThenshesingsasongtoLiYu.Theydrinkmorewine,andgraduallygetdrunk.Someredwinesoilshergauzesleeves,towhichshepaysnoattention.Shecontinuestoenjoythedrinkingwithherhusband.Drunken,sheleansacrossherbed.Chewingbitsofredbastingsshespitsthemtowardsherhusband.

Thepoemshowstheirsweetloveandcloserelationship.Astheyareintheirbedroom,thereisnoneedtoobservethecourtetiquettes.AndprobablyEHuangnotonlysangs,butalsodancestothetuneofLiYu’sci.Whatanidyllicandcarefreelifetheyareenjoying.

(4)喜遷鶯

曉月墜，宿云微，無語枕頻欹。

夢回芳草思依依，天遠雁聲稀。

啼鶯散，余花亂，寂寞畫堂深院。

提及體育學科的核心素養(yǎng)，簡單來說，就是自主健身，其核心能力則主要包括運動認知能力、健身實踐能力和社會適應(yīng)能力，而體育學科核心素養(yǎng)是對知識與技能、過程與方法、情感態(tài)度價值觀的整合，是以學生發(fā)展素養(yǎng)為核心價值追求。

片紅休掃盡從伊，留待舞人歸。

MigrantOrioles

The morning moon is sinking,

Few clouds are floating,

I lean on my pillow with no word.

Even in my dream I am thinking of the green grass so fair,

But no wild geese afar are heard.

No more orioles’ song,

Late blooms whirl round,

Solitude reigns the whole night long.

Don’t sweep away the fallen petals on the ground,

And leave them there till the dancer comes back from the ball.

Interpretationofthispoemagainvaries,butmostresearchersconsiderthispoemwrittenforEHuang,whooccasionallyleftLiYutovisitherparents.Sleeplessduetoherabsence,hewrotethispoem.DancerinthepoemreferstoEHuang,whowasgoodatsinginganddancing.

(5)長相思

云一緺，玉一梭，淡淡衫兒薄薄羅，輕顰雙黛螺。

秋風多，雨相和，簾外芭蕉三兩窠，夜長人奈何！

EverlastingLonging

Her cloudlike hair, with jade hairpin,

Is in dress so fair, of gauze so thin.

Lightly she knits her brows dark green.

In autumn breeze and autumn rain,

Lonely banana trees tremble outside the window screen.

Oh how to pass a long, long night again.

Interpretationofthispoemagainvaries.SomecriticsbelieveittobeLiYu’slongingforEHuangwhenshewasawayfromhim.SomethinkitwaswrittenbeforetheirmarriagewhenLiYufellinlovewithEHuangatfirstsight.StillothersconsideritwasEHuang’smissingofherhusband.Nomatterwhat,thebeautyinthepoemisEHuang.Shemightbemissingherhusband,orshemightbemissedbyherhusband.

(6)菩薩蠻

花明月暗籠輕霧，今宵好向郎邊去。

刬襪步香階，手提金縷鞋。

畫堂南畔見，一向偎人顫。

奴為出來難，教君恣意憐。

BuddhistDancers

Bright flowers bathed in thin mist and dim moonlight,

It is best time to steal out to see my love tonight.

With stocking feet on fragrant steps I tread,

Holding in hand my shoes sown with gold thread.

We meet south of the painted hall,

And trembling in his arms I fall.

It is hard for me to come over here,

So you may love your fill, my dear.

ThispoemrecordsthesecretmeetingbetweenLiYuandJiaMin,hisfuturesecondwife.Itvividlypaintsapictureofayounglady’spassionateeagernesstomeetherlover,herhurry,hernervousness,hercaution,herfearandherreliefonseeinghim.

(7)菩薩蠻

蓬萊院閉天臺女，畫堂晝寢人無語。

拋枕翠云光，繡衣聞異香。

潛來珠鎖動，驚覺銀屏夢。

臉慢笑盈盈，相看無限情。

BuddhistDancers

An angel is kept secluded in the fairy hill,

And she naps in painted hall so quiet and so still.

Beside the pillow spreads her cloudlike hair pell-mell,

Her broidered dress exhales an exotic sweet smell.

I come in stealth and click the pearly door,

Awaking her behind the screen from lovely dreams.

Gazing at her smiling face I adore,

And I see her eyes sending out amorous beams.

Likethepreviousone,thispoemalsorecordsLiYu’ssecretmeetingwithJiaMin.Thebeautyishavinganapinapeacefulandquietfairyplace,herthickandlongblackhairspreadsalongthepillow,andherdressgivesoffaspecialfragrance.Comingtovisither,themanbymistakemakesasoundthatwakensher.Shesmileshappilyatfindingherloverbeside.Wecanexpectthattheyshallsoonhaveaverypassionateandsweetlovemakingastheyhavebeensoexpectantofeachother.

SometimesLiYu’sciexpressinglovehasbeenaccusedofbeingdissoluteandvulgar.Tohisdefense,WangGuowei(1877—1927),agreatmasterinChineseliteratureandtutortoPuYi,thelastemperorofChina,inhisComments on Ci in the Human Worldwrote:

“昔為倡家女，今為蕩子婦。蕩子行不歸，空床難獨守?！笨芍^淫鄙之尤。然無視為淫詞、鄙詞者，以其真也。五代、北宋之大詞人亦然。非無淫詞，讀之者但覺其親切動人。非無鄙詞，但覺其精力彌滿?？芍~與鄙詞之病，非淫與鄙之病，而游詞之病也?！柏M不爾思，室是遠而?！倍釉唬骸拔粗家?，夫何遠之有？”惡其游也。

(王國維 2010： 80)

“Once she was a dancing-house girl, and now she is a wandering man’s wife. The wandering man went, but did not return. It is hard alone to keep an empty bed.”Such lines could be termed the ultimate in the dissolute and vulgar. Yet because they are true to life no one looks on them as such. The greatciwriters of the Five Dynasties and Northern Song were just the same. It is not that they composed no dissoluteci, but the reader is stirred by the intimate, moving quality of what they are saying. It is not that they composed no vulgarcieither, but one is stirred by their essential strength and boundlessness. From this we can see the problem is not one of dissolute or vulgarcibut rather a problem of insincerity of expression. “It is not that I do not think of you, but your home is far away.” The Master said, “He had not actually thought about her. If he had, what would distance have had to do with it?”Such a comment expresses Confucius’ disgust for insincerity. (王國維 2010： 81)

The following is some of Li Yu’scipoems of lament.

Li Yu’s days in Kaifeng as prisoner of Song Emperor were difficult and miserable, though he was not yet 40 years old and his second wife barely 25. He missed his lost land, his luxurious court, his wealth, and his freedom. Critics agree that this group ofcipoems expressing his sorry, misery, and lament are among his best.

(8)破陣子

四十年來家國，三千里地山河。

鳳閣龍樓連霄漢，玉樹瓊枝作煙蘿。

幾曾識干戈？

一旦歸為臣虜，沈腰潘鬢消磨。

最是倉皇辭廟日，教坊猶奏別離歌。

垂淚對宮娥！

Dance of the Cavalry

Areignoffortyyearsovervastlandanddeephillsandwidestreams.

Myroyalpalacescrapesthecelestialspheres,

Andmyshadyforestlooksdeeplikeleafydreams.

WhatdidIknowofshieldsandspears?

AcaptivenowIamwornaway,

ThinnerIgrow, my hair turns grey.

I can’t forget the hurried parting day when by the music band the farewell songs were played.

And I shed tears before my palace maids!

ThispoemrecordshisemotionsonthedaywhenthecityfelltoSongarmy’sattack.Fortyyearsreferstothetimespanfromthebeginningofhisgrandfather’sreigntotheendofhisreign.

(9)虞美人

春花秋月何時了，往事知多少。

小樓昨夜又東風，故國不堪回首月明中。

雕欄玉砌應(yīng)猶在，只是朱顏改。

問君能有幾多愁，恰似一江春水向東流。

TheBeautifulLadyYu

When will there be no more autumn moon and spring flowers,

For me who had so many memorable hours.

The east wind blew again in my lodge last night,

And I can’t bear the cruel memory of bowers and palaces steeped in moonlight.

Carved balustrades and marble steps must still be of old time,

But the rosy face cannot be the same.

If you ask me how much my sorrow has increased,

Just see the over brimming river flowing east.

ThisisthebestknowncipoemofLiYu.ItissaidthatthesecondSongEmperorZhaoGuangyireadthepoem,andthenostalgiaanddiscontentmentcontainedinitangeredhimsothathedecidedthatLiYumustdie.Hererosyfaceisametaphorforthebeautifulcountry,whichisnowunderanotherman’scontrol.Thechangeofrosyfaceinthepoemimpliesthechangeofmaster,changeofruler.InChineseliterarytradition,abeautifulladyisveryoftenlikenedtostatepower.

(10)烏夜啼

無言獨上西樓，月如鉤，寂寞梧桐深院鎖清秋。

剪不斷，理還亂，是離愁。

別是一般滋味在心頭。

CrowsCryingatNight

Silently and alone I go up to the west tower and see the hook like moon.

The plane trees lonesome and drear,

Locked in the deep courtyard autumn clear.

Cut, it won’t break;

Ruled, it will make a mess to wake.

An unspeakable taste in the heart,

Such is the grief to part.

Thepoemcreatesamoodofsadness,loneliness,ennuithatisunbearable.

(11)烏夜啼

林花謝了春紅，太匆匆，無奈朝來寒雨晚來風。

胭脂淚，留人醉，幾時重。

自是人生長恨水長東。

CrowsCryingatNight

Spring’s rosy colour fades from forest flowers,

Too soon, too soon.

How can they bear cold morning showers and winds at noon?

Your rouged tears like crimson rain,

Will keep me drink in woe.

When shall we meet again？

The stream of life with endless grief will overflow.

(12)浪淘沙

簾外雨潺潺，春意闌珊。

羅衾不耐五更寒。

夢里不知身是客，一晌貪歡。

獨自莫憑闌，無限江山，別時容易見時難。

流水落花春去也，天上人間。

RippleSiftingSand

The curtain cannot keep out the patter of rain,

And springtime is on the wane.

In the deep night my quilt is not cold-proof.

Forgetting I am under hospitable roof,

In dream I seek awhile for pleasure vain.

Don’t lean alone on balustrades and yearn for boundless land which fades.

It is easy to separate but hard to meet again.

With flowers fallen on the waves spring has gone away,

So has the paradise of yesterday.

ScholarsbelievethistobethelastpoembyLiYu.

LiYu’sReputation

AsemperorLiYuwasafailure,butasaciwriterLiYuwasgreat.Differentfromthepreviousciwriters,hewrotewhathepersonallyexperienced,andwroteinadirect,personaltone,exposinghisinnermostfeelingsandemotions,evenhisownweaknessesandshortcomings.Hewasopenandfrank,honesttotheextreme,butalsowaywardandsometimescapricious.Heinheritedtoomuchfromhisfather,aweakstatesman,butnotatallfromhisgrandfather,whowasawarriorandstrategist.Bydispositionhewasquiet,peace-loving,gentleandkind-hearted,sounfittoruleacountry.Hisearlycipoemsexhibitthesplendorandluxuryoftheroyallife,hisdevotedloveforhiswifeEHuang.Whenhisson,hiswife,andhismotherdiedoneafteranotherinashorttimespan,hecametoseetheunpredictabilityoflifeandbecamepessimistic.UndertheconstantpressureandthreatofSongEmperorhefeltlifeunbearable.Takenprisoner,lookingbackuponhispast,hislostlandandvanishedglory,hecametoseelifeasadream,transitoryandmeaningless.Combinedwithhisremorseforabandoningduty,thusleadingtothelossofland,wealth,glory,hissorrowandsadnessacquireauniversaldimension,andhisciexpressesuniversalhumancondition.HehasbeenrankedasthenumberoneciwriterinthehistoryofChineseliterature,emperorintherealmofciwriting.Asthesayinggoes,thepoetsufferswhilepoetryharvests.

WangGuowei,inhisComments on Ci in the Human World,hasgivenLiYuthehighestappraisalasfollows.

溫飛卿之詞，句秀也。韋端己之詞，骨秀也。李重光之詞，神秀也。

(王國維 2010： 24)

The artistry of Wen Tingyun’scilies in the lines, that of Wei Zhuang lies in the bone, while that of Li Yu lies in the spirit.

詞至李后主而眼界始大，感慨遂深，遂變伶工之詞而為士大夫之詞。周介存置諸溫、韋之下，可謂顛倒黑白矣?！白允侨松L恨水長東”，“流水落花春去也，天上人間?！薄督疖酢?、《浣花》，能有此氣象耶？

(王國維 2010： 26)

By the timecireached the period in which Li Yu lived its range of vision had begun to widen. As the emotions expressed gradually tended toward the more profound, socimoved out of the world of singers and actors into that of scholars and officials. Zhou Ji has ranked Li Yu below Wen Tingyun and Wei Zhuang, which is a kind of confounding black and white. “The sorrow in a man’s life is truly as much as water’s long flow eastward.” (The stream of life with endless grief will overflow.) And “Flowing water, fallen blossoms, spring has gone. I was in Heaven above, now in hell below.” (With flowers fallen on the waves spring has gone away, so has the paradise of yesterday.) Could such imageries be found in eitherJinQuanorHuanHua?

詞人者，不失其赤子之心者也。故生于深宮之中，長于婦人之手，是后主為人君所短處，亦即為詞人所長處。

(王國維 2010： 26)

Ciwriters can be described as those who have not lost their childlike heart. Therefore, having been born deep within the palace and raised among women accounts for Li Yu’s failure as a ruler but success as aciwriter.

客觀之詩人，不可不多閱世。閱世愈深，則材料愈豐富，愈變化，《水滸傳》、《紅樓夢》之作者是也。主觀之詩人，不必多閱世。閱世愈淺，則性情愈真，李后主是也。

(王國維 2010： 28)

Objective poets must observe the world as much as possible. The more profound their observation, the richer and more varied will be their material. The authors ofAllMenAreBrothersandADreamofRedMansion(TheStoryofaStone) are just such examples. Subjective poets, on the other hand, do not need to observe the world to any great extent. The more superficial their observation the more genuine will be the expression of their own natural feelings. Li Yu was just such a poet.

尼采謂：“一切文學，余愛以血書者。”后主之詞，真所謂以血書者也。宋道君皇帝《燕山亭》詞亦略似之。然道君不過自道身世之戚，后主則儼有釋迦、基督擔荷人類罪惡之意，其大小固不同矣。

(王國維 2010： 28)

Nietzsche said, “Of all that is written I love only that which one writes with his blood” (Nietzsche 2006: 27). Li Yu’scican truly be said to have been written with blood. Thecito the tune ofPavilionofYanshanby the last Northern Song Emperor Huizong is somewhat similar. However, the latter gave utterance only to the sorrow of his own experience while the former expressed the sense of responsibility for the evils of mankind, a sense reminiscent of the Buddha and Jesus Christ. Thus their poetry could not be considered of equal stature.

CommentsonCiintheHumanWorldhas become one of the most important books on literary theory in modern China. Wang Guowei is aciwriter himself, writing over 100ciand nearly the same number of other poems, so his comments on Li Yu have been widely accepted and frequently quoted as the best summary of Li Yu’s literary achievements in the genre ofciwriting.

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葉嘉瑩. 2014. 人間詞話七講 [M]. 北京： 北京大學出版社.

(責任編輯 姜 玲)

通信地址： 475001 河南省開封市 河南大學外語學院

Li Yu is a failure as emperor, but as aciwriter he is considered to be the indisputable emperor to take the crown. A brief life of Li Yu is first presented to account for his failure as emperor and success as aciwriter. Then some of hiscipoems are analyzed according to the categories of court life, love and lamentation over past splendor. In the end, his achievements inciwriting are summarized by citing Wang Guowei’s words from hisCommentsonCiintheHumanWorld.

Li Yu;cipoems; Wang Guowei; Qu Yuan; Song dynasty

I207.23

A

2095-5723(2017)01-0046-08

2016-11-05

①This is the speech given by the author to the audience in the Faculty of Education, University of Auckland, New Zealand and Confucius Institute, University of New South Wales, Australia in August, 2016. For translation of Wang Guoweis Comments on Ci in the Human World, I referred to Li Youans English translation and for the translation of Li Yus ci, I referred to Xu Yuanchongs English translation, both with minor modifications of my own to fit into the context of discussion.