364 t He y uan, m i ng, anD q i ng Dy na s t i e s
tect both children. As a result, he ended up sonless.20 [Zi]ping is the style name
of the Eastern Han scholar Xiang Chang, who disappeared as a wandering recluse
after taking care of his children’s marriages.21 Li Yu uses these two allusions to
demonstrate the inversion of normative values: in such an age of violence, it would
be better not to have children at all. The next couplet (lines 33–34) follows with ex-
amples of misfortunes that befall people and things of high value in the social and
political chaos of the period. There is no real safety even in the deep mountains,
as they are infiltrated by both soldiers and rebels. In the end, the poet could only
conclude, in a self-mocking tone, with the grim and fatalistic view that an age of
disorder is part of heaven’s workings, from which hapless fugitives, like inconse-
quential ants, cannot escape.
In contrast, the woman poet and critic Wang Duanshu (1621–ca. 1680), a native
of Shaoxing (also in present-day Zhejiang), recorded in an entirely serious tone
her plight of fleeing with the retreating Ming soldiers from the advancing Qing
troops in 1645. She vividly recounts her harrowing experience in the heptasyllabic
ancient-style poem “Kunan xing” (Song of Suffering Calamity):C 1 7. 6
Song of Suffering Calamity 苦難行 (kŭ nàn xíng)
Before the year Jiashen the common people had plenty, 甲申以前民庶豐 (jiă shēn yĭ qián mín shù fēng)
2 I remember I lived among groves of brocade flowers. 億昔猶在花錦叢 (yì xī yóu zài huā jĭn cóng)
Orioles twittered by the curtains as the sun rose high, 鶯囀簾櫳日影橫 (yīng zhuăn lián lóng rì yĭng héng)
4 Slow to get up and dress, I lingered in the scented bed. 慵粧倦起香幃中 (yōng zhuāng juàn qĭ xiāng wéi zhōng)
Once soldiers and horses crossed Xiling, 一自西陵渡兵馬 (yí zì xī líng dù bīng mă)
6 Books and histories were scattered and thousands of gold
pieces given up. 書史飄零千金捨 (shū shĭ piāo líng qiān jīn shě)
My hair unkempt and wearing plain clothes, 髻髩蓬鬆青素裳 (jì bìn péng sōng qīng sù shāng)
8 I missed the chance to follow my elder cousin to the
country village. 悞逐宗兄走村埜 (wù zhú zōng xiōng zŏu cūn yě)
The army orders in Wuning were extremely strict, 武寧軍令甚嚴肅 (wŭ níng jūn lìng shèn yán sù)
10 Soldiers were not permitted to stay the night in civilian
houses. 部兵不許民家宿 (bù bīng bù xŭ mín jiā sù)
At this time my heart was full of a myriad worries, 此際余心萬斛愁 (cĭ jì yú xīn wàn hú chóu)
12 The river wind blew in my face, yet I dared not cry. 江風括面焉敢哭 (jiāng fēng kuò miàn yān găn kū)
At midnight the tide rose at lightning speed, 半夜江潮若電入 (bàn yè jiāng cháo ruò diàn rù)
14 Calling my boy who would not rouse, the situation was
pressing. 呼兒不醒勢偏急 (hū ér bù xĭng shì piān jí)
Spending the night on the beach, water lapped our bodies, 宿在沙灘水汲身 (sù zài shā tān shuĭ jí shēn)
16 Sleeves of light gauze, soaked through in layers. 輕紗衣袂層層濕 (qīng shā yī mèi céng céng shī)
Hearing the order we marched with the troops again, 聽傳軍令束隊行^ (tīng chuán jūn lìng shù duì xíng)
18 Cold dew reached our bodies before the cock crowed. 冷露薄身鷄未鳴 (lěng lù bó shēn jī wèi míng)
From here on we followed along without stopping, 是此長隨不知止 (shì cĭ cháng suí bù zhī zhĭ)
20 When the horses neighed we thought it was the bugle’s sound. 馬嘶疑為画角聲 (mă sī yí wéi huà jiăo shēng)