The next poem from my 古代文化 class: 七哀 (Seven Sorrows), written in the 3rd century AD by 曹植, one of the sons of 曹操, of Three Kingdoms fame. 曹操 and his two sons 曹丕 and 曹植 were all accomplished poets, and are together known as “the three Caos”. From Wikipedia:
Their poems formed the backbone of what was to be known as the jian’an style (建安風骨). The civil strife towards the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty gave the jian’an poems their characteristic solemn yet heart-stirring tone, while lament over the ephemerality of life was also a central theme of works from this period. In terms of the history of Chinese literature, the jian’an poems were a transition from the early folksongs into scholarly poetry.
This poem, 七哀, is on the surface about a woman who wastes away alone and miserable in her home because her husband has been away traveling for more than ten years, and whose only wish is to be able to reenter her husband’s heart. Scholars believe that in reality, 曹植 was describing his own feelings towards his older brother 曹丕, who had isolated him from politics and banished him to the countryside for fear of threats to his power (or, as the story is told now, because 曹丕 was jealous that 曹植 was better at writing poetry). Here’s the poem:
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七哀
曹植
明月照高楼，流光正徘徊。
上有愁思妇，悲叹有余哀。
借问叹者谁，言是宕子妻。
君行逾十年，孤妾常独栖。
君若清路尘，妾若浊水泥。
浮沉各异势，会合何时谐？
愿为西南风，长逝入君怀。
君怀良不开，贱妾当何依？