Li Shangyin the History Poems

twelve Li Shangyin The History Poems 李商隱, 詠史 Li Shangyin, On History1 歷覽前賢國與家 I have read of all former worthies, of their families and domains, 成由勤儉破由奢 success came from earnestness and restraint, ruin came from excess.2 何須琥珀方為枕 What need must it be amber before one can have a pillow?3 豈得珍珠始是車 why should one have to have pearls in order to have a carriage?4 ————— 1. 29200; Jijie 347; Ye (1985) 134; Zhou 102. 2. Han Feizi, Shi guo 十過: You Yu 由余 was sent on a diplomatic mission to Qin, where Duke Mu asked why rulers gained or lost their domains. You Yu replied: “They always gain it by restraint and lose it by excess” 常以儉得之, 以奢失之. 3. There are several amber pillows mentioned in the historical record. Zhou Zhenfu and Ye cite the most famous example of the amber pillow included in the gifts to Zhao Feiyan when she became empress. This best fits the context. Jijie prefers an allusion to another amber pillow presented as a tribute gift to Song Wudi. On his campaign north, Wudi learned that amber could heal wounds made by weapons and ordered that the pillow be broken up and distributed to his generals. Jijie clearly interprets the line as an example of frugality and restraint. 4. Shi ji, Tian Jingzhong Wan shijia 田敬仲完世家: King Wei of Qi met the king of Liang, who boasted that although his domain was small, he had huge pearls to adorn the princely carriages. King Wei of Qi responded that his treasures were of a different sort and began enumerating his advisers, whose “light shone a thousand leagues.” The History Poems 413 運去不逢青海馬 Fate’s cycle wanes, one does not find Kokonor horses,5 力窮難拔蜀山蛇 strength runs out, one cannot pull up the snake in Shu’s mountains.6 幾人曾預南薰曲 How many men could ever anticipate the song of the aromatic south wind?—7 終古蒼梧哭翠華 at Cangwu for eternity they weep for the kingfisher bunting.8 In many ways “On History” represents the sober ideal of the “poem on history,” yongshi shi 詠史詩. From the experience of reading such poems one should derive finely phrased lessons, distilled from the poet’s own reading, about the successes and failures of rulers. The les- son is repetitive and stated baldly in the second line: earnestness and restraint bring success, while excess brings ruin. Although Li Shangyin does mention several positive examples here, he as well as most poets prefer to comment on excess and attendant ruin. In some cases Li Shangyin does precisely what he is supposed to do, offering examples and passing judgments without ambivalence. The problem is that excess, described sumptuously and with a certain investment of poetic in- terest, tends to have the diametrically opposite effect from the one putatively intended. This fact had long been understood in the Chinese tradition—at least as far back as the late Western Han writer Yang Xiong, who commented on Emperor Wu’s court poet Sima Xiangru’s ————— 5. Sui shu, Xiyu zhuan 西域傳: At the onset of winter the Tuyuhun people of Koko- nor place a mare on an island in Kokonor to “get the dragon seed.” The resulting colt is called a Kokonor Dapple. Ye thinks this reference is incorrect and takes the line as referring to the “horses of heaven” of Han Wudi’s reign, which ceased to be sent to China when Han fortunes declined. Although Kokonor is not mentioned specifically, it is representative of this horse-producing region. 6. The reference here is to the story, found in several sources, of how the king of Qin promised five beautiful maidens in marriage to the king of Shu. The latter sent five strong men to fetch the women. In the mountains they came upon a huge snake, which disappeared into a hole. When the five men joined forces to pull it out, the mountain collapsed and the way between Qin and Shu was opened up. 7. The “South Wind” was the name of a song played on a zither by Shun: “The aroma of the south wind / can release my people from their woes” 南風之薰兮, 可以解吾民之慍兮. 8. Shun was buried at Cangwu. The “kingfisher bunting” refers to banners in the royal regalia. .

Load more