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宋词 Song Lyric Poetry - Still waxing lyrical after 1,000 years
February 24, 2013, Sunday
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DURING the Song Dynasty (960-1279), Ci poems (or lyric poems) were in vogue among the literati. Some believe that Ci arose as words to older melodies transmitted from Central Asia. Each Ci poem is written to a certain tune which determines the number of Chinese characters in each line. Ci poems were also written under particular titles, called Cipai, which were originally the titles of set patterns or tunes.
Ci poems can be divided into categories according to their lengths, including Xiaoling (58 characters or less), Zhongdiao (59-90 characters) and Changdiao (91 characters or more, with the longest 240 characters).
According to styles, Ci poems can also be roughly classified into two schools: the Graceful Ci School and the Unconstrained Ci School.
The Song Dynasty is widely regarded as the peak period of Chinese Ci poetry. During this time China produced thousands of great lyrical poetry writers.
The "Complete Song Lyric Poetry," published in 2009, contains nearly 20,000 Ci poems written by more than 1,330 Song poets.
Among those are poets still popular today. Su Shi (1037-1101), also known by his pseudonym Su Dongpo, played a crucial role in creating the style of expressive Ci poetry, combining descriptions of natural phenomena with deep emotions and political ideas.
Many of Su's more than 2,300 Ci poems remain so well known today that nearly every school student in the country can recite a few lines.
These include the first two lines of his poem "Battle of Red Cliff."
"The Great River flows to the east,
Washing away all great men known to history with its rolling waves."
His lines describing the beautiful West Lake in the scenic city Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang Province in east China are also still famous:
"People tend to liken the West Lake to the Lady of the West,
Plainly dressed or gorgeously adorned,
She always looks the best."
The Lady of the West refers to one of the most famous beauties in ancient China.
Among other Song Ci poets who remain very popular are Liu Yong, Ouyang Xiu, Huang Tingjian, Xin Qiji and Li Qingzhao.
Xin Qiji (1140-1207) is widely considered one of the greatest writers of Ci poetry during the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279), with many saying he was as talented as Su.
Xin was also the chief representative of the unconstrained style, the first to introduce both colloquial and classical terms that rendered verse more like prose.
Today, more than 600 poems by Xin have been preserved. Many are about his experience as a military leader fighting tribal invaders and others about his personal life and feelings.
One of Xin's notable Ci poems is "The Lantern Festival to the Tune of Green Jade Bowl," its last three lines the most famous:
"In the crowd, I have looked for her more than a thousand times,
Then, suddenly, as I turn my head, I spot her,
Over there, where lights are few and dim."
Li Qingzhao (1084-1151) is known as the finest female writer of Ci poetry in Chinese literature.
Li developed a distinctive graceful style of lyrical poetry which features plain language, a delicate restraint, the blending of intense passion and literary images, and beautiful melodious rhythms. Li's poems are very easy to recite.
One of her most famous lyrical poems is the "Double Ninth Festival," to the tune of "Intoxicated Under the Shadow of Flowers." And most critics agree the last three lines of this poem are the most appealing:
"Oh, no one will say that it's not endearing,
When the west wind unfurls the curtain,
I feel that I have become more emaciated than the yellow flower."
Today, many Chinese people still love Ci poems. For instance, late Chinese leader Chairman Mao was known as a lover and writer of the genre.
Ci poems can be divided into categories according to their lengths, including Xiaoling (58 characters or less), Zhongdiao (59-90 characters) and Changdiao (91 characters or more, with the longest 240 characters).
According to styles, Ci poems can also be roughly classified into two schools: the Graceful Ci School and the Unconstrained Ci School.
The Song Dynasty is widely regarded as the peak period of Chinese Ci poetry. During this time China produced thousands of great lyrical poetry writers.
The "Complete Song Lyric Poetry," published in 2009, contains nearly 20,000 Ci poems written by more than 1,330 Song poets.
Among those are poets still popular today. Su Shi (1037-1101), also known by his pseudonym Su Dongpo, played a crucial role in creating the style of expressive Ci poetry, combining descriptions of natural phenomena with deep emotions and political ideas.
Many of Su's more than 2,300 Ci poems remain so well known today that nearly every school student in the country can recite a few lines.
These include the first two lines of his poem "Battle of Red Cliff."
"The Great River flows to the east,
Washing away all great men known to history with its rolling waves."
His lines describing the beautiful West Lake in the scenic city Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang Province in east China are also still famous:
"People tend to liken the West Lake to the Lady of the West,
Plainly dressed or gorgeously adorned,
She always looks the best."
The Lady of the West refers to one of the most famous beauties in ancient China.
Among other Song Ci poets who remain very popular are Liu Yong, Ouyang Xiu, Huang Tingjian, Xin Qiji and Li Qingzhao.
Xin Qiji (1140-1207) is widely considered one of the greatest writers of Ci poetry during the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279), with many saying he was as talented as Su.
Xin was also the chief representative of the unconstrained style, the first to introduce both colloquial and classical terms that rendered verse more like prose.
Today, more than 600 poems by Xin have been preserved. Many are about his experience as a military leader fighting tribal invaders and others about his personal life and feelings.
One of Xin's notable Ci poems is "The Lantern Festival to the Tune of Green Jade Bowl," its last three lines the most famous:
"In the crowd, I have looked for her more than a thousand times,
Then, suddenly, as I turn my head, I spot her,
Over there, where lights are few and dim."
Li Qingzhao (1084-1151) is known as the finest female writer of Ci poetry in Chinese literature.
Li developed a distinctive graceful style of lyrical poetry which features plain language, a delicate restraint, the blending of intense passion and literary images, and beautiful melodious rhythms. Li's poems are very easy to recite.
One of her most famous lyrical poems is the "Double Ninth Festival," to the tune of "Intoxicated Under the Shadow of Flowers." And most critics agree the last three lines of this poem are the most appealing:
"Oh, no one will say that it's not endearing,
When the west wind unfurls the curtain,
I feel that I have become more emaciated than the yellow flower."
Today, many Chinese people still love Ci poems. For instance, late Chinese leader Chairman Mao was known as a lover and writer of the genre.
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