Walking into the world of Li Yu①

河南大学

高继海



Walking into the world of Li Yu①

河南大学

高继海

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

红日已高三丈透，

金炉次第添香兽，

红锦地衣随步皱。

佳人舞点金钗溜，

酒恶时拈花蕊嗅，

别殿遥闻箫鼓奏。

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)玉楼春

晚妆初了明肌雪，

春殿嫔娥鱼贯列。

笙箫吹断水云开，

重按霓裳歌遍彻。

临风谁更飘香屑，

醉拍阑干情味切。

归时休放烛花红，

待踏马蹄清夜月。

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

晓妆初过，沉檀轻注些儿个。

向人微露丁香颗。

一曲清歌，暂引樱桃破。

罗袖裛残殷色可，杯深旋被香醪涴。

绣床斜凭娇无那，烂嚼红茸，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)喜迁莺

晓月坠，宿云微，无语枕频欹。

梦回芳草思依依，天远雁声稀。

啼莺散，余花乱，寂寞画堂深院。

提及体育学科的核心素养，简单来说，就是自主健身，其核心能力则主要包括运动认知能力、健身实践能力和社会适应能力，而体育学科核心素养是对知识与技能、过程与方法、情感态度价值观的整合，是以学生发展素养为核心价值追求。

片红休扫尽从伊，留待舞人归。

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)长相思

云一緺，玉一梭，淡淡衫儿薄薄罗，轻颦双黛螺。

秋风多，雨相和，帘外芭蕉三两窠，夜长人奈何！

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)菩萨蛮

花明月暗笼轻雾，今宵好向郎边去。

刬袜步香阶，手提金缕鞋。

画堂南畔见，一向偎人颤。

奴为出来难，教君恣意怜。

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)菩萨蛮

蓬莱院闭天台女，画堂昼寝人无语。

抛枕翠云光，绣衣闻异香。

潜来珠锁动，惊觉银屏梦。

脸慢笑盈盈，相看无限情。

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:

“昔为倡家女，今为荡子妇。荡子行不归，空床难独守。”可谓淫鄙之尤。然无视为淫词、鄙词者，以其真也。五代、北宋之大词人亦然。非无淫词，读之者但觉其亲切动人。非无鄙词，但觉其精力弥满。可知淫词与鄙词之病，非淫与鄙之病，而游词之病也。“岂不尔思，室是远而。”而子曰：“未之思也，夫何远之有？”恶其游也。

(王国维 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. (王国维 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)破阵子

四十年来家国，三千里地山河。

凤阁龙楼连霄汉，玉树琼枝作烟萝。

几曾识干戈？

一旦归为臣虏，沈腰潘鬓消磨。

最是仓皇辞庙日，教坊犹奏别离歌。

垂泪对宫娥！

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

春花秋月何时了，往事知多少。

小楼昨夜又东风，故国不堪回首月明中。

雕栏玉砌应犹在，只是朱颜改。

问君能有几多愁，恰似一江春水向东流。

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)乌夜啼

无言独上西楼，月如钩，寂寞梧桐深院锁清秋。

剪不断，理还乱，是离愁。

别是一般滋味在心头。

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)乌夜啼

林花谢了春红，太匆匆，无奈朝来寒雨晚来风。

胭脂泪，留人醉，几时重。

自是人生长恨水长东。

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

帘外雨潺潺，春意阑珊。

罗衾不耐五更寒。

梦里不知身是客，一晌贪欢。

独自莫凭阑，无限江山，别时容易见时难。

流水落花春去也，天上人间。

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.

温飞卿之词，句秀也。韦端己之词，骨秀也。李重光之词，神秀也。

(王国维 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.

词至李后主而眼界始大，感慨遂深，遂变伶工之词而为士大夫之词。周介存置诸温、韦之下，可谓颠倒黑白矣。“自是人生长恨水长东”，“流水落花春去也，天上人间。”《金荃》、《浣花》，能有此气象耶？

(王国维 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?

词人者，不失其赤子之心者也。故生于深宫之中，长于妇人之手，是后主为人君所短处，亦即为词人所长处。

(王国维 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.

客观之诗人，不可不多阅世。阅世愈深，则材料愈丰富，愈变化，《水浒传》、《红楼梦》之作者是也。主观之诗人，不必多阅世。阅世愈浅，则性情愈真，李后主是也。

(王国维 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.

尼采谓：“一切文学，余爱以血书者。”后主之词，真所谓以血书者也。宋道君皇帝《燕山亭》词亦略似之。然道君不过自道身世之戚，后主则俨有释迦、基督担荷人类罪恶之意，其大小固不同矣。

(王国维 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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(责任编辑 姜 玲)

通信地址： 475001 河南省开封市 河南大学外语学院

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.