Sh i P oe t ry : musiC bur e au P oe m s 95her brother. Since line 13 alludes to poem no. 23 in the Book of Poetry, in which a
couple’s secret tryst is depicted, lines 13 and 14 may be read as a recollection of
the lovers’ rendezvous. The last line describes the woman’s tossing and turning in
her bed in anger, confusion, and fear until dawn. This is a vivid poem depicting an
outspoken woman who is not afraid to express her true feelings.
In addition to the topics of social hardships and romantic love, unconventional
themes began to develop in the Han yuefu corpus. The youxian (roaming in tran-
scendence) theme wielded great influence on the poetry of the Six Dynasties.
“Marvelous! A Ballad,” categorized under “Lyrics for Accompanied Songs,” is one
of the earliest poems displaying a combination of what might be called carpe diem
and youxian topics:
C 4. 7
Marvelous! A Ballad 善哉行 (shàn zāi xíng)
The days to come will be very hard, 來日大難 (lái rì dà nán)
2 Our mouth will be dry and lips parched. 口燥脣乾 (kŏu zào chún gān)
Today we enjoy each other’s company, 今日相樂 (jīn rì xiāng lè)
4 Let’s cheer up and be merry. 皆當喜歡 (jiē dāng xĭ huān)
I travel through famous mountains, 經歷名山 (jīng lì míng shān)
6 Mushrooms wigwag in the wind. 芝草翻翻 (zhī căo fān fān)
The immortal Prince Qiao 仙人王喬 (xiān rén wáng qiáo)
8 Offers me a pill of medicine. 奉藥一丸 (fèng yào yì wán)
I pity my sleeves are so short, 自惜袖短 (zì xī xiù duăn)
10 When I try to tuck my hands in, I feel cold. 內手知寒 (nà shŏu zhī hán)
I’m ashamed that there are none like Ling Zhe, 慚無靈輒 (cán wú líng zhé)
12 Who repaid Zhao Xuan. 以報趙宣 (yĭ bào zhào xuān)
The moon sinks, the Triaster slants. 月沒參橫 (yuè mò shēn héng)
14 The Northern Dipper lies across the sky. 北斗闌干 (běi dŏu lán gān)
Relatives and friends walk into my house, 親交在門 (qīn jiāo zài mén)
16 Though hungry, they have not enough food. 饑不及餐 (jī bù jí cān)
Our happy days are few, 歡日尚少 (huān rì shàng shăo)
18 Yet miserable days are many. 戚日苦多 (qī rì kŭ duō)
How can I forget my melancholy? 何以忘憂 (hé yĭ wàng yōu)
20 I will play my zither, have wine, and sing a song. 彈箏酒歌 (tán zhēng jiŭ gē)
The eight lords under Prince Huainan, 淮南八公 (huái nán bā gōng)
22 Their Way is pithy, not convoluted. 要道不煩 (yào dào bù fán)
Let me drive a carriage of six dragons to 參駕六龍 (cān jià liù lóng)
24 Roam and play in the clouds. 游戲雲端 (yóu xì yún duān)
[SS 21.616]27
The poem is composed in regular tetrasyllabic lines, a pattern that remained
popular until the Later Han. The beginning of the poem laments the hardships