📖 Overview
"To the Tune 'Remorse at the Pleasure Pavilion'" is a Chinese poem from the Song Dynasty written by Li Qingzhao, a woman who lived from 1084 to around 1155 CE. The work follows the ci poetry form, which sets lyrics to existing musical melodies.
The poem captures a moment of reflection during an autumn evening, expressed through observations of nature and the speaker's surroundings. The text moves between descriptions of physical objects and expressions of inner emotional states.
This piece is part of Li Qingzhao's larger body of work that established her as one of China's most significant poets. Her writing emerged during a time of political upheaval when the Song Dynasty faced invasion from the north.
The work explores themes of memory, loss, and the relationship between external reality and internal experience. Through its structure and imagery, it demonstrates how personal emotions can be expressed through observations of the natural world.
👀 Reviews
This appears to be a Chinese classical poem/song lyric (ci poetry) by Li Qingzhao rather than a book. There are no consolidated reader reviews or ratings available on Goodreads, Amazon or other mainstream review sites for this specific poem.
The poem is typically included in larger collections of Li Qingzhao's works or Chinese classical poetry anthologies, where readers comment on her body of work rather than this individual piece.
Since this is a single poem rather than a book, and given it exists primarily as part of larger collections in translation, providing a summary of reader reviews specific to this piece would not be accurate or helpful. Reviews would be better sought for complete collections of Li Qingzhao's poetry or for specific translations that include this work.
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The Book of Songs by Various Ancient Chinese Poets This collection of Chinese poetry from 1000-700 BCE presents songs of love, longing, and separation with natural imagery and emotional depth.
Cold Mountain Poems by Han Shan A Tang Dynasty poet's works reflect on solitude and nature through verses written on the rocks and trees of his mountain hermitage.
The Tale of Genji by Murasaki Shikibu This classical Japanese novel interweaves poetry and prose to tell the story of a prince's life through changing seasons and emotional landscapes.
Selected Poems of Du Fu by Du Fu These poems from China's most revered poet capture personal exile, political turmoil, and natural beauty during the Tang Dynasty.
🤔 Interesting facts
🏮 Li Qingzhao is considered China's greatest female poet, writing during the Song Dynasty (960-1279). She mastered both traditional poetry and the more emotional ci style of verse.
📚 "To the Tune" refers to ci poetry, which was written to existing musical melodies. These poems were meant to be sung rather than simply read.
🏰 The poet lived through the fall of the Northern Song Dynasty and had to flee south, losing her precious collection of antiquities and books, which deeply influenced her later melancholic works.
💑 Li Qingzhao's marriage to Zhao Mingcheng was considered unusually romantic for its time, as they shared a passion for art and literature, often playing poetry games together.
🎭 The "Pleasure Pavilion" mentioned in the title likely refers to a type of building common in Chinese gardens where scholars and artists would gather to compose poetry, drink wine, and appreciate nature.