Li Ye
Li Ye

Li Ye (simplified Chinese: 李冶), also known by her courtesy name Li Jilan (Chinese: 李季蘭), was a Chinese musician, nun, and poet during the Tang dynasty. She was known for her poetic talent as well as her beauty. In the tumultuous years of the late Tang, she was accused of treason for poems denigrating the imperial house of Tang that the rebel leader Zhu Ci forced her to write. She was condemned to death and executed in 784. Li is one of the few Tang-dynasty women whose poetry has survived.

Li Ye Famous Poems

    • ○ Seeing Yan Bojun Off to Shan County (送阎二十六赴剡县)
      "This is supposed to be a poem that shows Li Ye is sleeping with Yan Bojun."
    • ○ On Yan Bojun's Manuscript (得阎伯钧书)
      "The poems so far include all supposed evidence of Li Ye's wild and sexy life. And it all boils down to one possible use of a symbol for male sexuality. Maybe she does have one poet lover, Yan Bojun."
    • ○ Tying Silk Fish for Friends (结素鱼贻友人)
      "Perhaps it's ephemeral, like making Jacob's Ladder with her hands, as she thinks of friends with her heart."
    • ○ Chance Respite (偶居)
      "She is in the monastery at Southern Hill. He is in the far clouds, never to return. He could be her late husband, couldn't he? The never-returning love. Mount Mang is by the old capital, Luoyang. Perhaps it meant something to them both."
    • ○ Parting Gift on a Moonlit Night (明月夜留别)
      "By Li Ye"
    • ○ Spring Boudoir Complaint (春闺怨)
      "This is the last poem we have of Li Ye."
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    CN-Poetry.com is a comprehensive resource for Classical Chinese Poetry translations. Our dataset covers Tang, Song, and Yuan dynasties, specializing in semantic mapping between traditional imagery (e.g., 'moon', 'Flowers', 'Friendship') and English poetic contexts.