264 t He F i v e Dy na s t i e s anD t He s ong Dy na s t y
ci writer herself, Li Qingzhao insisted on a rigorous identity of the song lyric as
an independent poetic genre. She advocated a careful distinction between the ci
and the shi. Of the many features of the genre she discussed in her essay, the most
important was the musicality of the ci tune. Although she claimed that Liu Yong’s
language was “as low as dirt,” she commended him for having been a connoisseur
of the music of the ci.
The expressive power and pliability of the manci form are also seen in the works
of Xin Qiji (1140–1207). Besides being a ci poet, Xin was first of all a man of action,
having participated in his youth in a major military uprising against the Jurchens,
who ruled the northern part of China, and having made a name for himself try-
ing to accomplish the impossible task of reclaiming the lost territory of central
China after he went to the south and joined the Southern Song (1127–1279) court.
His manci works are informed by his legendary life experiences and his ebullient
personality. In his hands, the poetic form that was originally fit for only boudoir
sentiments became an effective vehicle for conveying the complicated feelings and
emotions of a larger-than-life heroic figure.In Liu Yong’s best lyrics, the poetic mood and the sentiment of the persona are
conveyed through the thoughtful presentation of elaborate descriptions of scenery
and the narration of a series of poetic events:C 1 3. 1
To the Tune “Eight Beats of a Ganzhou Song”I face the splashing evening shower sprinkling from the sky over the river
2 And washing clean the cool autumn.
Gradually the pressing frosty wind gets more and more chilly,
4 The mountain passes and rivers turn bleak,
While the last ray of the sun lingers on the balcony.
6 Here and there the red withers and the green decays—
Slowly nature’s blossoms fade.
8 Only the water of the Yangtze
Silently flows east.
10 I cannot bear to ascend the height and look into the distance.
I look toward my homeland afar, not to be seen;
12 Thoughts of returning home just would not stop.
I sigh over my wanderings these years;
14 What is it that keeps me here?
I imagine my fair one is now gazing earnestly out of her window,
16 Mistaking again and again some returning boat on the horizon for mine.
How could she know that I, leaning against the balustrade here,
18 Am lost in sorrow?
[QSC 1:43]❀