276 t He F i v e Dy na s t i e s anD t He s ong Dy na s t y
The whole piece can be summed up by one word, “sorrow.” As we have seen, the
poet emphasizes this at the beginning by repeating the idea of sorrow six times in
line 3. Now, at the end of the song, she tells us that the word “sorrow” just cannot
express what she has tried so hard to say. Suddenly the poet sounds like Zhuan-
gzi (ca. 369–286 b.C.e.), the language skeptic who wished that he could “have a
word” with someone “who had forgotten words.”10 However, the poet has also in-
herited Zhuangzi’s dilemma. She has no other medium but language, ironically,
even when she wishes that her readers would bypass language. Her best hope is
that some kind of unmediated grasp of her sentiment can be achieved by those
readers who are willing to go beyond language and try to experience what her
words attempt to convey. Seen in this light, her unconventional use of sounds at
the beginning of the song can be read as a direct appeal to readers’ sensual, rather
than simply intellectual, perception.
The last ci master we consider here is Xin Qiji, the most prolific ci writer in the
Song dynasty. Together with Su Shi, Xin Qiji has been labeled as a representative
of the school of “heroic abandon” (haofang), as opposed to that of “delicate and re-
strained” (wanyue). But his art defies such an oversimplified categorization. This
first poem no doubt reveals his heroic side, yet the style of the second is hard to pin
down if mention of “delicate restraint” is forbidden:C 1 3. 5
To the Tune “Congratulating the Bridegroom”I have composed songs to the tune of “Hexinlang” for all the gardens and
pavilions in my district. One day when I was sitting by myself at the Halting
Cloud Pavilion, the gurgling streams and green mountains vied with one an-
other to please me. Presuming that they also wanted me to write something
for them, I put down a few lines. They might bear some resemblance to Tao
Yuanming’s poem “Halting Clouds,” in which he expresses his longing for
his friends.Too much I have decayed!
2 Alas, all my life I’ve seen friends and companions fade away,
And now how many of them are left?
4 With gray hair hanging in vain three thousand zhang long,
I laugh away all worldly things.
6 Is there anything left, you ask, that might cheer me up?
I see in green mountains such alluring charm;
8 I expect that they see the same in me,
For in heart and in appearance
10 We are a bit similar.Goblet in hand, scratching my head by the east window,
12 I presume that Tao Yuanming, having finished his poem “Halting Clouds,”
Was in the same mood now I am.