Willow Branch Song I
- Poetry of Liu Yuxi
The flute played on "Mume Blossoms" on Northern Frontier,
"The Laurel Branch" to Southern River shore was dear.
They were sung in the former dynasties for long.
Now listen to my newly composed "Willow Song".
"杨柳枝词" is one of the works Liu Yuxi composed later in life in response to Bai Juyi’s poetry, part of a set of nine poems. This first poem marks a shift in Liu Yuxi’s literary creativity. By drawing upon the classical yuefu (folk song) traditions, especially works like "梅花落" and "招隐士," Liu Yuxi expresses his innovative literary concepts, emphasizing creation over mere imitation. This poem, connected to Bai Juyi's "杨柳枝," demonstrates the interaction between the two great literary figures and their shared spirit of literary innovation.
塞北梅花羌笛吹，淮南桂树小山词。
请君莫奏前朝曲，听唱新翻杨柳枝。
- Why Chinese poems is so special?
- The most distinctive features of Chinese poetry are: concision- many poems are only four lines, and few are much longer than eight; ambiguity- number, tense and parts of speech are often undetermined, creating particularly rich interpretative possibilities; and structure- most poems follow quite strict formal patterns which have beauty in themselves as well as highlighting meaningful contrasts.
- How to read a Chinese poem?
- Like an English poem, but more so. Everything is there for a reason, so try to find that reason. Think about all the possible connotations, and be aware of the different possibilities of number and tense. Look for contrasts: within lines, between the lines of each couplet and between successive couplets. Above all, don't worry about what the poet meant- find your meaning.