by Li He
“Did not fear the tigers on the shore
But only feared the dragons in the water.”
This led the Prime Minister to give Wang high office.
2. The writing on the funeral inscription has worn away, while Wang’s sword, buried with him, has rusted.
3. The tomb and the ground around it have been ploughed over.
4. The fields south of the tomb.
The Traveller
5-character: 1 rhyme
1. Probably Mount Zhung-nan, near Chang-an.
2. The name used during the Han dynasty for the place where high officials stayed while awaiting audience with the emperor.
3. See note above. Lu-Zhou was situated in the ancient territory of Zhao. The Lord of Ping Yuan, Zhao Sheng, was the son of a feudal lord of Zhao.
4. During the Warring States period, Feng Xuan, a retainer of Lord Meng Chang of Qi, expressed his dissatisfaction with his lot by beating time with his sword and singing: “Long sword, why don’t we go home?”
5. Letters were sometimes written on strips of silk.
After Days of Rain in the Chong-yi District
5-character: 1 rhyme
This poem was written between 811 and 814, when He was working in the Office of Rites. The Chung-yi district was the second street east of Vermilion Bird Gate, in the ninth sector of Chang-an.
1. A reference to the Department of State Affairs (the Southern Palace), which was responsible for the examination. These two lines must be understood as criticizing the blindness and stupidity of the examiners who had refused to let him sit for his doctorate.
2. Chang-gu lay to the east of Chang-an.
3. Once again He is hinting that he would like to give up scholarship and gain fame as a soldier.
Feng Hsiao-lien
5-character: 1 rhyme
Feng Xiao-lian was a skillful pi-pa (lute) player and dancer who rose from being a bondmaid to become the favourite of Hou-Zhu (regnet 566–77) of the Northern Qi dynasty. After the fall of the dynasty, she fled and hid herself among the common people. But Emperor Wu (regnet 560–78) of the Northern Zhou dynasty captured her and gave her to one of his princes. This poem must describe her plight while in hiding.
1. Or possibly: “For dispelling the spring-wind (love) melancholy of others, how much have I earned since this morning?” This rendering has the girl herself speaking these lines.
2. A belt with a bamboo-leaf pattern.
3. This almost certainly refers to her pi-pa.
Presented to Chen Shang
5-character: 3 rhymes
Chen Shang, styled Shu-sheng, was a fifth-generation descendant of the royal house of the Chen Dynasty (regnet 557–89).
1. The Laṅkāvatāra-sūtra is one of the most important classics of the Chan (Zen) sect.
2. Literally: “you hoe among the sacrificial dishes.” The line means Chen is undergoing great hardship while studying rites and music.
3. Chen was an enthusiastic partisan of Han Yu’s gu-wen movement, which aimed at driving out parallel prose and replacing it by a more classical style. Chen seems to have carried this to such lengths that even Han Yu complained that his style was too antique for clarity.
4. Mount Tai-hua, used as a symbol for Chen Shang, is one of the five sacred mountains of China.
5. Two constellations.
6. Literally: “…into a pu-su.” This is the big-leaf oak, a tree considered useless for any purpose.
7. Straw dogs were used for sacrificial purposes and then discarded.
8. During Tang, only officials of the fifth degree were authorized to wear black belts. He must be referring to a Han dynasty practice.
9. Ancient swords were believed to have magical powers, among them those of flying in the air and roaring like tigers. He sees Chen and himself, with their talents unused, as priceless swords locked away forever in a box, forgotten by all.
Fishing
5-character: 1 rhyme
1. A canal red either with silt from the fields or with flowers.
2. The Zie-xian zhuan tells the story of one Ling-yang Zi-ming who caught a white dragon while out fishing. He was so frightened that he promptly let it go; whereupon, in gratitude, it let him catch a white fish, in whose belly he found a silken letter which contained the recipe for the elixir of life.
3. “Lone cocoon”: silk from a single cocoon.
4. “Wild paddy”: Indian rice (zizania aquatica).
5. One commentator thinks both the newt and the frog were used as bait.
6. Zhan He, a character of the time of the Warring States who is mentioned in Lie-zi, was an expert fisherman, who could catch a fish as large as a cart with a single strand of silk, half a grain, and a hook made from a beard of wheat. See A. C. Graham, The Book of Lie-zi, p. 105.
7. The Zhan-guo ce carries the story of the Lord of Long-yang, a handsome favourite of the King of Wei, who caught a dozen or so fish while out fishing, only to burst into tears. He was afraid that, just as he had wanted to throw away the first fish he had caught once he had caught even bigger ones, so the king would one day wish to discard him.
8. His own momentary disappointment at his failure to catch anything—symbol of his failure to achieve his ambitions—vanishes at the sight of the weeping girl, whose sorrows are greater than his.
Poem Presented to My Second Elder Cousin (Its Rhymes Harmonizing with a Poem of His) When He Stopped Being a Messenger, Sent Back His Horse, and Went Home to Yan-Chou
5-character: 1 rhyme
Yan-Zhou lay some 210 miles northeast of Chang-an. He wrote this poem to console his cousin at his loss of office.
1. His talents were not used. Wang Yuan, of the Later Han dynasty, once offered “to block up the Han-gu Pass with a ball of mud.”
2. For the Long-tou song, see J. D. Frodsham, An Anthology of Chinese Verse, p. 106.
3. Lime-water was dropped into heated wine to clear it. This was called “ash-wine.”
4. His cousin no longer goes hunting wearing his official robes, but watches cock-fights at home.
5. “To return to Wu” means “to retire from office.” “To enter Ying” (ancient capital of Chu) means “to assume office again.”
6. A reference to the saying: “Peach-tree, plum-tree do not say a word, yet people beat a path beneath them.” Though he is living in retirement, his brilliance will make people seek him out.
Presented in Reply
5-character: 1 rhyme
Probably He wrote this poem to commemorate his friend’s acquisition of a new concubine.
1. Zhang Fang, Marquis of Fu-ping, used to accompany Emperor Cheng of Han (regnet 33–37 B.C.) when the latter roamed around in disguise.
2. In A.D. 359, a Fairy called Lü-hua (“Green Flower”) is said to have visited the house of one Yang Quan and presented him with a poem.
3. Si-ma Xiang-ru once sold wine for a living. Later, tradition asserts that he built himself a Lute Tower. Presumably Green Flower had just become the concubine of He’s friend, who has got drunk (the jade tree sprawled among the goblets) to celebrate the event.
Written on the Wall of Zhao’s House
5-character: 1 rhyme
Zhao seems to have been a friend of He’s who was living pleasantly in retirement.
1. One cooks, while the other pounds rice to make flour.
2. The Wu edition reads “stone well.”
3. Zhao’s skin was a healthy, peach-blossom colour.
Spring Melancholy
5-character: 1 rhyme
1. A man who supported his widowed mother by weaving nets and making sandals. He supported his widowed mother by what he considered menial employment.
2. In A.D. 465, a Liu Song emperor cast irregular shaped and unpolished coins worth one-twelfth of a tael. Even the elms remind He of his poverty.
3. It was an ancient custom to welcome the returning swallows in the second month of spring with a sacrifice to the tutelary spirit of births and marriages.
4. A reference to a custom about which the commentators know nothing. We may interpret “flying silk” as “gossamer.” Since the shrike was a bird of ill-omen, it is not surprising to find it chased away.
5. “Northern lute” (hu-qin) here refers not to the modern hu-qin but to an instrument like the pi-pa. This was made of red sanderswood studded with mother-of-pearl.
Immortals
5-character: 1 rhyme
1. Yao believes this poem is a satire on the self-styled Immortals who thronged Xian-zong’s court, all promising him eternal life. He is pointing out that no real immortals would ever come to court, for their place is far from the haunts of men. During Han Wu-di’s reign, those who came to court claiming that they knew that the Magic Peaches of the Mother who is Queen in the West were ready to ripen were legion. Yet they were clearly frauds, for these peaches ripen only every six thousand years.
Song of He-yang
Irregular: 3 rhymes
I understand this as a poem about two singing-girls whom He had evidently met some years previously while passing through He-yang county, Henan. He may well have written this poem while on his way to Lu-zhou in 814.
1. “Autumn blue” is a blue-black colour. Perhaps the lines mean that He considers himself too old for a love-affair with a young girl.
2. The poet Si-ma Xiang-ru fell in love with his future wife while in Linqiong, Sichuan.
3. In He-yang.
4. This might refer to Yan Hui, the favourite disciple of Confucius, whose hair turned white while he was still young. Some commentators refer to Yan Si, who was asked by Emperor Wu of Han why he still held the junior post of Gentleman though his hair was white. Yan explained that he had failed to find favour with either Emperor Wen (regnet 180–157 B.C.) or Emperor Jing (regnet 156–141 B.C.). Emperor Wu, touched by his story, finally promoted him. He sees himself as old before his time, a white-haired menial.
5. A licensed singing-girl wore a silver plaque at her belt, inscribed with her name.
6. Probably a reference to their hair-styles, rather than to their goblets.
7. The host sat on the east side of the room.
8. Or: “Wet mouths red on the flagons.”
Song: An Outing among Blossoms
5-character: 1 rhyme
“Blossoms” refer to the girls as well as the flowers.
1. The Cold Food Day, when nothing hot was eaten and no fires were lighted, fell on the eve of the Qing-ming Festival at the end of the second or beginning of the third lunar month, in early spring.
2. Willows are traditionally connected with the Qing-ming Festival.
3. Because of the cold.
Spring Morning
Irregular: 1 rhyme
Lines 1 to 10 describe spring in the palace; lines 11 and 12 describe spring among the nobility; lines 13 to 16 describe spring among the people.
1. “Vermilion City”—the palace.
2. A reference to an old ballad which tells how the First Emperor of Qin rolled up clothes which he presented to the palace beauties.
3. Flying Swallow of Zhao (Chao Fei-yan), a famous beauty.
4. During the Han dynasty, the Princess of Ping-yang built a famous rockery in her garden.
5. Pan Yue (d. A.D. 300), when Magistrate of He-yang in Henan, planted flowers and fruit-trees everywhere in the country.
6. Placing stones on the base of their looms to keep them steady.
The Palace of Peace and Joy
5-character: 1 rhyme
An old ballad of this title dates from the sixth century. The An-le Palace (“Palace of Peace and Joy”), built in A.D. 223 by the Emperor of Wu, stood in Hubei, southeast of Chang-an. It was pulled down in A.D. 250 to provide material for building palaces in the capital. The commentators differ widely in their interpretations of this poem.
1. The Wardrobers (shang-fu) were ladies in charge of the royal ward robes.
2. Xiao Lun, Prince of Shao-ling (circa 507–51), was a son of Emperor Wu of Liang. Some commentators believe these lines should read: “Shao-ling melons, not yet washed, are swaying in the long, azure waves of the jars.”
3. Zuo Guan was a high-ranking official during the reign of Emperor Huan of Later Han (regnet 146-68) and hence could never have seen this palace. The line simply means: “Even high-ranking palace officials were happy to serve in a menial capacity just to be present at these banquets.”
4. “Wormwood” is beach wormwood. Mountain dogwood was planted near wells so that its leaves could fall into the water. This was held to keep the water fresh and pure.
Butterflies Dancing
7-character: 2 rhymes
1. A young girl peers from behind her screen at the young man on his white horse.
A Young Nobleman of Liang
5-character: 1 rhyme
Probably a satire on some young general of noble birth, notorious for devoting his time to singing-girls, rather than to military matters. The nobleman in question may have been a descendant of the royal house of Liang (502–57). It is possible, however, that he was a member of the Tang royal house. If so, He would be availing himself of a literary convention to protect himself from a charge of lèse-majesté.
1. Xiao was the surname borne by the house of Liang. While pregnant with Emperor Wu of Liang (regnet 502–49), his mother had a vision of a supernaturally beautiful bullrush flower, which she promptly swallowed.
2. A veiled allusion to his love-affair.
3. A type of expensive, ornamental paper, mottled with silver.
4. During the Jin dynasty, the great general Tao Kan (259–334) planted willows all over Wu-chang district, Hubei. The camp was presumably in this locality. The reference to Tao Kan is highly ironic. Our young fop playing at soldiers is contrasted with one of China’s finest soldier-statesmen, a man noted for his integrity and austerity.
5. Literally: “The girl from the Guan-wa palace” (in Wu). Here the expression means simply, “a beautiful girl.”
Song: Planting Tree-Peonies
7-character: 3 rhymes
1. Chinese thoroughwort (eupatorium chinense) and du-heng (asarun blumei).
2. During Tang, tree-peonies were greatly prized and very costly. The gold is for buying these flowers.
3. One commentator thinks this line means: “The two singing-girls named Liang and Wang have grown old and departed but Silk Robes (another singing-girl) is still here.” This is forced and quite unconvincing. He has several poems which mention a “Prince of Liang”—here he is clearly referring to some nobleman or other who was fond of peonies. Perhaps “Prince of Liang” was the name of a variety of peony. If so, the line would be intentionally ambiguous. “Sendal robes” would then mean both “silk clad dancing girls” and “peony leaves.”
4. Name of a ballad. Note how the peonies are seen as dancing girls—expensive beauties whose loveliness is all too fleeting.
5. The embroidered awnings, which were probably used to shade the peonies, were made of patterned silk from Shu.
6. The poet Pan Yue, whose minor name (xiao-zi) was Tan-nu, is another of He’s favorite characters. The Xie girl is not the fourth-century poetess Xie Dao-yun, but the renowned singing-girl who belonged to the great statesman Xie An (320–85).
Song: Digging a Well in the Back Gardens
Irregular: 2 rhymes
The title is taken from an old ballad, dating from the Jin dynasty, whose theme is much the same as this. Love between husband and wife must be deep and inexhaustible as the well which is being dug in the back gardens of the palace.
1. Xun Can, styled Feng-qian (floruit 3rd century A.D.), married General Cao Hong’s daughter because he admired her for her beauty alone, paying no attention to her character. Yet when she died he pinned away from grief in just over a year. The girl wants a husband like this.
Song: Throwing Off My Sadness Written under Mount Hua
7-character: 3 rhymes
1. Mount Tai-hua in Hua-yin county, Shanxi, between Xi-an and Luo-yang.
> 2. We may date this poem at A.D. 810. The line would thus refer to He’s rejection as a jin-shi candidate.
3. Xun-zi, XIX, p. 22b. “Zi Xia was so poor his clothes were (like the feathers of) a hanging quail. Someone said: ‘Why doesn’t he look for an official post?’ He said: ‘The feudal lords look down on me, so I cannot become a minister.’ ”
4. It was said of Zhu Zhen of the Later Han that he was so poor “his carriage was like a bird’s nest, his horse like a hound.”
5. The “beflagged pavilion” here refers to a tavern, not to the marketplace, as some commentators would have it.
6. Yi-yang was the old name for the county where Li He’s family lived. It lay about 120 miles east of Mount Hua.
7. One commentator thinks this refers to the story of the Immortal Shi Cun who jumped into a wine-pot, made it his universe, and called it “the winepot of Heaven.” Another interprets this as a reference to the story of Fei Chang-fang of the Later Han who met an old man with a magic wine-jar, from which the two of them could drink all day without emptying it. Fei followed the old man into the jar and learnt the arts of immortality.
8. One commentator interprets “to cultivate heart and bones” as meaning “to cultivate mental energy.”
Qin Gong
7-character: 5 rhymes
1. For Liang Ji see note 4, below. Feng Zi-du was the favourite slave of the Han general, He Guang (d. 68 B.C.). See the poem attributed to Xin Yan-nian in J. D. Frodsham, An Anthology of Chinese Verse, p. 14. After He’s death, Feng took his late master’s wife as his mistress.
2. “Scented mist”—incense-smoke.
3. Tallies were used at drinking-parties to keep track of how many cups each person had drunk, so nobody could refuse another goblet on the grounds that he had already had too many.
4. Liang Ji had a private zoo in his garden. Hence it would have been Qin’s duty, as Steward of the Household, to supervise the rearing of these animals.
5. Deer were supposed to turn white when they reached 1,500 years old.
6. “Eternal galleries”—long galleries in the imperial palace. Liang Ji had free access to the palace.