The Favored Imperial Concubine

  Eleven

  Zhang Gao said: "Fei Qing's words are profound, beautiful, and concise." I say: Only Feng Zhengzhong can match these four characters. Liu Rongqi said: "Fei Qing is exquisite and unparalleled." It's just a slight difference.

  Note:

  (1) Zhang Huiyan's "Ci Xuan Xu": "Among the ci poets of the Tang dynasty, Wen Tingyun was the highest, his words were profound, beautiful, and concise."

  (2) Liu Xi Zai's "Yi Gai" Volume 4 "Ci Qu Gai": "Wen Fei Qing's lyrics are exquisite and unparalleled, but they do not go beyond ornate lamentation."

  Twelve

  The golden pheasant's screen (1) is the language of Fei Qing, and its style is similar to his. The yellow oriole's speech on the strings (2) is the language of Duan Ji, and its style is also similar to his. If you want to find the true style in their words and sentences, then "harmonious tears test severe makeup" (3), isn't this close?

  Note:

  (1) Wen Tingyun [More Leaks]: "Willow threads are long, spring rain is fine. The sound of dripping outside the flowers is distant and continuous. It startles the geese in the border, and the crows on the city wall. The golden pheasant on the painted screen. The fragrance of mist is thin, passing through the curtains. I am melancholy at the Xie family's pool pavilion. The red candles are behind, the embroidered curtains hang down. My dream is long, but my lord does not know."

  (2) Wei Zhuang [Bodhisattva Barbarian]: "The red building is desolate at night, the fragrance of the lamp half-rolls up the silk curtains. The remaining moonlight shines on my departure, a beauty bids farewell with tears. The pipa's golden feathers, the strings speak in oriole language. Urging me to return home early, the green window has a person like a flower."

  (3) Feng Yan yi [Bodhisattva Barbarian]: "Coiffure piled high, hairpins horizontal phoenix, soft spring water willow flower dream. Red candle tears dry, green screen smoke wave cold. Brocade quiver urges painted arrow, jade girdle heavenly edge far. Harmonious tears test severe makeup, fallen plum flies dawn frost."

  Thirteen

  The Southern Tang dynasty's Zhongzheng wrote: "The fragrance of the lotus has faded, leaving only a few green leaves; the west wind stirs up the calm waves (1). There are many beautiful flowers that have withered and decayed, evoking feelings of melancholy in the beauty who lingers too long. Only in ancient times was there one who truly appreciated its: 'Fine rain returns to the dream, the distant Ji Pass, the small tower pierces through the jade flute's chill.' Therefore, I know it is not easy to find someone who understands."

  Note:

  (1) Li Jing's "Washing Creek Sand":

  "The fragrance of the lotus has faded, leaving only a few green leaves. The west wind stirs up sorrow among the green waves. I still share the decline with the beautiful light, unbearable to look at. In my dream, the fine rain returns, and the distant Ji Pass is far away, the small tower blows through the cold jade pipe. How many tears are there, how much hatred is limited? Leaning on the railing."

  Fourteen

  Wen Feiqing's lyrics are elegant in sentence. Wei Duanji's lyrics are elegant in bone. Li Chongguang's lyrics are elegant in spirit.

  Fifteen

  The words reached Li He and the realm of vision began to expand, the emotions became deeper, and the clever words were transformed into the words of scholars. Zhou Jixuan placed them below Wen Wei (1), which is a reversal of black and white indeed. "From then on, human life has long been regretful, water has long flowed east" (2); "Flowing water, fallen flowers, spring gone", "Heaven and Human World" (3). Can the atmosphere of "Jin Quan" and "Huan Hua" be like this?

  Note:

  (1) Zhou Ji's "Jie Cun Lun Ci Za Zhu": "Mao Qiang and Xi Shi were the most beautiful women in the world. With elaborate makeup, they looked great; with light makeup, they also looked great. In rough clothes and disheveled hair, their national beauty was not hidden. Fei Qing had elaborate makeup, while Duan Ji had light makeup. The Emperor of Later Master had rough clothes and disheveled hair."

  (2) Later Master [Meeting Joy]: "The forest flowers have faded, the spring red is gone, it's all too fleeting. Alas, the morning rain and evening wind have come. Rouge tears, intoxicating people, when will we meet again? It's just that life is a long sorrow, like the endless eastward flow of water!"

  (3) Hou Zhuo [Lang Tao Sha]: "Outside the curtain, the rain is pattering, spring's intention is vague. The quilt cannot withstand the cold of the fifth watch. In my dream, I don't know I'm a guest, and for a moment, I indulge in joy. Alone, I lean on the railing, with endless rivers and mountains. It's easy to part ways but hard to meet again. As the flowing water falls, the flowers go with spring, both in heaven and among humans."

  Sixteen

  A poet is one who has not lost the heart of a child. Therefore, being born in the depths of a palace and growing up in the hands of women are shortcomings for an emperor but advantages for a poet.

  Seventeen

  Objective poets must have a rich experience of life. The deeper the experience, the richer and more varied the material, as in "Water Margin" and "Dream of Red Mansions". Subjective poets need not have a wide experience of life. The less they see of life, the more genuine their emotions, as with Li Houzhu.

  Eighteen

  Nietzsche said: "All literature, I love to write with blood." The words of Hou Zhu are indeed written in blood. Song Daoren's poem [Yan Shan Ting] (1) is also similar. However, Daoren only expressed his own sorrow and joy, while Hou Zhu had the intention of Sakyamuni Christ bearing the sins of humanity, which is a big difference.

  Note:

  (1) Song Huizong [Yan Shan Ting] (Northbound sees apricot blossoms):

  Cutting and trimming the icy silk, lightly layered several times, faintly applying rouge. New makeup is bright and fragrant, overflowing with scent, killing the palace maid's tender feelings. Easily withered and fallen, how many more heartless wind and rain? Sorrowful. The deserted courtyard is desolate, several times at spring dusk. Relying on sending away longing again and again, these two swallows have never met, nor spoken human language. The sky is far, the earth is vast, thousands of waters and mountains, where is their old palace? How can one not think of it? Except in dreams, sometimes I've been there before. No evidence. Harmonious with dreams, no longer doing.

  Note: This translation is a poetic interpretation, as the original text is a classical Chinese poem.

  Nineteen

  Feng Zhengzhong's poetry, although not losing the style of the Five Dynasties, has a particularly grand and majestic tone, opening up a new atmosphere for the Northern Song Dynasty. Along with the middle and late masters' poetry, it is all outside the scope of "Hua Jian", so it should not be included in the "Hua Jian Ji" collection (1).

  Note:

  According to "Tang Song Famous Family Ci Selection" by Long Muxun: "Considering that 'Huajian Collection' has many ci poets from Western Shu, it does not include the two masters and orthodox ci. This should be due to geographical distance and difference in age. It is not because of differences in style or school that they were left out. Wang's explanation is incorrect."

  Twenty

  Among the lyrics, except for "Qu Yue Tiao" and "Pu Sa Man", there are more than a dozen famous ones, such as "Zui Hua Jian": "High tree magpie carries nest, slanting moon shines on cold grass"; I think Wei Suizhou's "Liu Ying Du Gao Ge" and Meng Xiangyang's "Shu Yu Di Wu Tong" cannot surpass them.

  Note:

  (1) Feng Yan-yi [Drunken Flower Shed]: "Clear snow, small garden, spring has not arrived. Plum blossoms by the pool are already in bloom early. High trees with magpies carrying nests, slanted moon shining on cold grass. Scenic mountains and rivers have been good since ancient times. The road to Jinling is old. Young people look back and grow old. When meeting again, don't dislike getting drunk from golden cups, parting ways are many, joyful reunions are few."

  A lonely person lies awake, the rustling of leaves falls. The cold rain quietly deepens in the night watch, fireflies float across the high pavilion. Sitting by the green lamp till dawn, I still regret wearing thin summer clothes. How could I know that the year is already late, and my solitary abode is even more desolate?

  (3) "Complete Tang Poems" Volume 6: Meng Haoran's sentence, "Thin clouds pale the Han River, sparse rain drips on the wutong tree." Tang Wang Shiyuan's preface to "Meng Haoran's Collection" says: "Haoran once strolled in the Secret Province, autumn moon newly cleared, various talented scholars composed poems at a gathering. Haoran's sentence was 'Thin clouds pale the Han River, sparse rain drips on the wutong tree.' The whole room sighed at its clarity and loftiness, all put down their brushes and did not continue writing."