Journal of Literature and Art Studies, ISSN 2159-5836
September 2011, Vol. 1, No. 3, 158-166
LI Bai’s Eight Poems About XI Shi
LIANG Ying Beijing Foreign Studies University, Beijing, China
The study traces Chine poet LI Bai’s eight poems about the mythical figure XI Shi and investigates the reasons
why none of the eight poems gets anthologized in Tang Shi San Bai Shou (《唐诗三百首》), the most popular
poetry of Tang Dynasty anthology. Obrvations focus on the poems’ departure from writing conventions, the
poems’ genre of huai gu (怀古), the general assumption that may block our understandings and evaluations of
the literary works such as LI Po is clumsy at describing feelings and he shows signs of hasty composition and his
risky experiments with the tonal effects.
Keywords: huai gu (怀古), beauty, Tang Shi San Bai Shou , tonal effects
Introduction
It is a great literary tradition that “historical events and personage” (HUANG, 1985, p. 109) never retreat from literary works. XI Shi (西施), though a legendary figure, has occupied writers’ imaginations for thousands of years. Born in 5th century BC, she is the queen to FU Chai (夫差), the King of Wu, and one of the most famous court beauties. Actually, she is originally from Kingdom of Yue, and is nt to King of Wu as a prent after GOU Jian (勾践), the King of Yue was defeated by King of Wu in 494 BC. It is said that:
After he returned home, GOU Jian reportedly lay on faggots and tasted gall (presumably some anim
al gale) every
night to remind himlf of the humiliating defeat while nursing vengeance against FU Chai. Nineteen years later he successfully conquered the Wu. (LIN, 1986, p. 327)
History does not provide evidence that establishes direct links between XI Shi and the defeat of Wu, but she is generally believed to have made King of Wu lost his kingdom and almost his life. Throughout history, XI Shi is a handy example in China when people want to prove that “Woman is evil water”. How does such a mythical figure get reprented in Tang Shi, particularly by LI Bai (李白) (701-762), who is often regarded as the greatest poet under the Tangs?
Among 755 poems of LI Bai that are collected in Xiangzhu Quan Tang Shi (《详注全唐诗》), eight directly talk about or mention XI Shi. Yet none of them is included in Tang Shi San Bai Shou (《唐诗三百首》), “Which is the most popular poetry of Tang Dynasty anthology and includes mostly well-known good poems” (ZHU & XIONG, 1995, p. 107). Among the eight poems, only “The Ballads of the Four Seasons: Summer” (“Ziye Wu Ge: Xia Ge” (《子夜吴歌: 夏歌》)) and “Song of the Roosting Crows” (“Wu Qi Qu” (《乌栖曲》)) get miscellaneous studies. Are the poems not of high quality? Is LI Bai making an extraordinary departure from
LIANG Ying, Ph.D. of Purdue University; associate professor at Graduate School of Translation and Interpretation, Beijing Foreign Studies University.
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LI BAI’S EIGHT POEMS ABOUT XI SHI159
convention in them that may make this group of poems unaccepted? Do they reprent LI Bai’s general themes,
techniques or styles? How are they different from other poets’ products that treat the same topic? The are the
questions that are going to be dealt with in this paper.
A Detailed Look
Besides “Ziye Wu Ge: Xia Ge” and “Wu Qi Qu”, the other six poems are: “XI Shi “(“XI Shi” (《西施》));
“Improvising on King of Wu and His Beauty Half-drunk” (“Kouhao Wuwang Meiren Banzui” (《口号吴王美
人半醉》)), “Three Baizhu Ci Poems : Number 1” (“Baizhu Ci Sanshou: Zhi Yi” (《白纻辞三首: 之一》)),
“Seeing Zhuba Off to East of the River, and Writing on Getting a Wash Yarn Stone” (“Song Zhuba Zhi
Jiangdong, Fu De Huanshashi” (《送祝八之江东，赋得浣纱石》)), “Two Poems Imitating the Past: Number 2
(“Xiaogu Ershou: Zhi Er” (《效古二首: 之二》)), and “On A Jade Bottle” (“Yu Hu Yin” (《玉壶吟》)). Readers
may be concerned that LI Bai’s poems which mention XI Shi may not really be about her and dialectically, his
poems that are really about her may not mention her directly. That is true, but it would be too broad a topic if
poems which talk about “Yuenv” (越女), “Meiren” (美人), “Huansha Nv” (浣纱女), etc., that could be about XI
Shi are also included in this study, and besides, sometimes a “Meiren” is just a “Meiren”.
Among the eight poems, “XI Shi” and “Ziye Wu Ge: Xia Ge” give direct portraits of XI Shi’s beauty (e Example 1).
Example (1) 西施
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西施越溪女，出自苎萝山。
秀色掩(超过)今古，荷花羞玉颜(美丽的容貌)。
浣纱(洗纱)弄碧水，自与清波闲。
皓齿(洁白的牙齿)信难开，沉吟碧云间。
勾践征(选用)绝艳(绝色美女)，扬蛾(扬眉)入吴关。
提携馆娃宫(吴宫名)，查渺(遥远)讵(哪里)可攀。
一破夫差(吴国王)国，千秋竟不还。(LIN & LI, 1997, p. 617)
His-shi
His-shi, a girl spotted on a stream in Yüeh,
Was born of parents from Chu-lo Hill.
Her beauty overshadowed women past and prent,
And her lovely face put lotus flowers to shame.
She washed yarn, played with the green water,
And spent her leisure with the clear ripples.
Indeed her white teeth rarely opened to speak,
And her thoughts tarried in the blue sky.
Exalted by Kou-chien, who was looking for a supreme beauty,
She entered the Kingdom of Wu,
Where she was raid above others in the Kuan-wa Palace.
Distant and elusive she is nowhere to be found:
The moment Fu Chai’s Kingdom was destroyed,
She disappeared, and, in the ages that followed, was en no more. (HUANG, 1985, pp. 109-110) The poem is tightly structured. After extensive portraits of XI Shi’s dazzling beauty, the poem makes an abrupt turn at the very end and comments on the tragic fate of such a rare beauty and thus brings the poem to a
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LI BAI’S EIGHT POEMS ABOUT XI SHI
climatic conclusion. Though the conclusion is “poignant”, the overall narrative is “neat and lucid” (HUANG,
1985, p. 109). Compare this with the following poem (e Example 2). In this poem, readers get subjective
西米粥respons and feelings about XI Shi’s beauty instead of just the details of her physical attributes.
Example (2) 子夜吴歌
夏歌
镜湖(湖名)三百里，菡 (荷花)发荷花。
五月西施采，人看隘(狭窄)若耶(溪水名)。
回舟不待月，归去越王家。(LIN & LI, 1997, p. 565)
The Ballads of the Four Seasons1
Summer
On the Mirror Lake three hundred li around
Gaily the lotus lilies bloom.
She gathers them—Queen His-shih, in Maytime!
A multitude jostles on the back, watching.
Her boat turns back without watching the moonri,
And glides away to the hou of the amorous Yueh king. (LI, 1965, p. 149)
This poem is taken from a ries of four poems. “Ziye Wu Ge” belongs to the Southern Yuefu (乐府) genre and is mainly about love (ZHU & XIONG, 1995, p. 113). The other three poems are: “Spring” (“Chun Ge” (《春
歌》)), which is about a beautiful country girl who is gathering mulberry leaves refus a married governor’s
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offer, and it immediately reminds us LI Bai’s “The Field” (“Mo Shang Sang” (《陌上桑》)). “Autumn” (“Qiu Ge”
(《秋歌》)) is about a woman in the imperial capital thinking of her husband far away guarding the frontier;
“Winter” (“Dong Ge” (《冬歌》)) is about a girl wing a soldier’s jacket for her lover that still fights in the
frontier. Maybe becau summer is the ason of youth and vitality, this poem prents a beautiful picture with
river, lily flower, XI Shi’s beauty, and the amazed crowds commingled all together. The scenery is already
beautiful, but a rare beauty coming onto the scene makes it all the more amazing. Yet man and nature live
harmoniously and the ordinary people and the Queen are not confrontational either. Unlike the preceding poem,
not a single word directly talks about XI Shi’s beauty, but the meaning appears beyond the words. There is a
repetitive u of “watching” in the translation which is also worthy to be noted of. The crowds gather around to
初三班主任工作计划watch XI Shi while she is gathering lilies, but without watching and looking around, she turns back and goes to the
King of Yue. Not only XI Shi’s beauty, but also her pride and nobility are suggested. But what kind of Emperor is
he? He is “amorous”. A free translation though, the word effectively foreshadows XI Shi’s gloomy future.
Example (3) 口号(口占，随口吟诗， [the auhtor’s annotation]吴王美人半醉
风动荷花水殿(水边楼台)香，姑苏(苏州)台上见吴王。
西施醉舞娇无力，笑倚东窗白玉床。 (LIN & LI, 1997, p. 629)
The Fair Queen of Wu
The breeze pass through the lotus flowers—
All fragrance is the waterside pavilion.
The king of Wu is feasting on the Ku-su Tower.
She is fair and unresisting.
1An alternative title of this poem is “Ziye Sishi Ge”.
LI BAI’S EIGHT POEMS ABOUT XI SHI161
Now, smiling, she leans near the east window
Against a couch of white jade. (LI, 1965, p. 74)
Immediately readers notice the changes about XI Shi (e Example 3). Lotus flower appears again, but this time it takes us to King of Wu’s palace instead. XI Shi becomes Queen of Wu already and she is dancing while
her husband is feasting. This picture is touched with pathos compared to the two preceding pictures. Nature’s
beauty just lingers sluggishly, only to work up enough fragrance for XI Shi to dance; XI Shi is no more the
proud Queen who rais her head high among her people, she is instead, juxtapod alone with King of Wu and
appears “unresisting”. She is “smiling” but also half drunk. What she is evading from and what she is trying to
forget? References to drinking plays a key role here: Drunken XI Shi may allude to YANG Gui-fei (杨贵妃)
(719-756), becau YANG Gui-fei is known as a good dancer and she also drinks. And if this link is plausible,
抗日战役this poem is not just lament the past, it speaks to the prent. And, if not too farfetched, LI Bai is prophetic
about YANG Gui-fei’s tragedy and us XI Shi’s story to warn her.
Example (4)乌栖曲
姑苏台上乌栖时，吴王宫里醉西施。
吴歌楚舞欢未毕，青山欲一作犹衔半边日。
银箭金壶(古代计时工具)一作金壶丁丁漏水多，起看秋月坠秋伯。
东方渐高奈乐一作尔何。(LIN & LI, 1997, p. 554)
Song of the Roosting Crows
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The time when the crows are roosting on the terrace of Ku-su
Is when, in the Wu king’s palace, Hsi Shih is growing drunk.
The songs of Wu and dances of Ch’u—their pleasures had not reached its height,
As the green hills were about to swallow a half side of the sun.
From waterclock more and more drips away, from the basin of gold with its silver arrow,
And they ri and they watch the autumn moon sink down in the river’s waves,
As in the east the sun grows higher, what shall their joy be then? (Owen, 1981, p. 121)
XI Shi is still drunk and dancing, and unaware of the fact that crow already enters the palace (e Example
4). And the tradition of linking crow with bad luck immediately ts the whole tone of the poem. In fact,
readers can find many repetitive usages of crow in LI Bai’s poems: “Yellow Crow at the Field” (Yetian
Huangque Xing” (《野田黄雀行》)) contains the line “栖莫近宫燕” (LIN & LI, 1997, p. 555); “Three, Five,
Seven Words” (“San Wu Qi Yan” (《三五七言》)) has “秋风清，秋月明，落叶聚还散，寒鸦(寒冷的鸟)栖
复惊” (LIN & LI, 1997, p. 627). This is an example of “investing” or “entrusting” images with meaning. Owen
(1981) obrved the “dreamlike” (p. 122) feature of this poem. The author believes that maybe becau LI
两万五千里长征
Bai’s snapshots of nature have some illusive quality about them.
In “Ziye Wu Ge: Xia Ge”, XI Shi even does not wait for the moon to come out or even cast a glance at the moon and just leaves, but now before she finishes entertaining, “The sun is being swallowed by the mountains”
(Owen, 1981, p. 122). The tting sun is usually regarded as an omen of a ruler’s decline. The images of the
moon can also be linked with the thought of the woman. “For the roundness of the moon is a symbol of the
reunion of lovers, and at the same time a remote and inaccessible prence. It conveys better than any word the
desire of the woman stretching toward the infinite” (Cheng, 1986, p. 48). If this holds true, the poet is assuming
26个英语单词
a female voice at the end and prents the picture through her consciousness. Actually XI Shi still keeps Yue’s
162孙子兵法三十六计内容
LI BAI’S EIGHT POEMS ABOUT XI SHI
tradition, becau she still dances “楚舞”, but can she go back to her home country after the mission completed?环保袋
The last ntence ems to give the answer. Ah, humanity!
The “Baizhu Ci Sanshou: Zhi Yi” follows the same line of thinking (e Example 5).
社会养老保险
Example (5)白纻辞三首 之一
扬清歌一作音，发皓齿(洁白的牙齿)，北方佳人东临子。
且一作旦吟白(古曲名)停绿水(古曲名)，长袖拂面为君起。
寒云夜卷霜海空，胡风吹天飘塞鸿(边塞的大雁)。
玉颜(美人)满堂乐未终，馆娃(西施，此指美女)日落歌吹(深)一作中。(LIN & LI, 1997, p. 559)
Three Baizhu Poems: Number 1
Crisp voice, white teeth, a beauty from the North is singing and dancing.
Water stops to listen, her long sleeves ri up to accompany.
Yet dark winter clouds and frost dry up the a and border winds fill up the sky.
Before she finishes, the sun ts and her song lingers up in the air. (Translated by this author)
XI Shi’s physical beauty and singing skills get repeated. But she sings in the cold ason and dark hour in
a harsh climate. Do the frontier birds refer to Yue’s troops at her time or the barbarians that Tang soldiers fight
in the frontier? “馆娃” as shown in the first poem, refers to XI Shi herlf, though the annotation cited suggests
its possibly general u here.
There is one more poem that LI Bai works on the theme of the passing of time and the transience of life (e Example 6).
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Example (6) 送祝八之江东，赋得浣纱石
西施越溪女，明艳光云海。
未一作来入吴王宫殿时，浣纱(洗纱)古一作故石今犹在。
桃李新开映古查(年久的树桩)，菖莆(草名)犹短出平沙(平坦的沙地)。
昔时红粉(美人)一作颜照流水，今日青苔覆(盖住) 落花。
君去(离开)西秦适(到)东越，碧水青江几超忽(远)。
若到天涯思古人，浣纱石上窥明月。(LIN & LI, 1997, pp. 600-601)
Seeing Zhuba Off to East of the River, and Writing on Getting a Wash Yarn Stone
XI Shi, a girl spotted on a stream in Yue,
Her beauty brightens clouds and a.
Before she enters into King of Wu’s palace,
She washes yarn and the stone she ud still remains.
Peach and plum trees blossom and juxtapo with the old stocks,
Bushes being too short em to come out of plat sand ground.
In the past her beauty mirrors the flowing water,
But now fallen flowers get buried beneath green moss.
You [Zhuba] leave Qin in the West for Yue in the East,
And you may wind through rounds of green waters.
If you think of old acquaintances in that far away place,
Take this wash yarn stone with you, and you will e bright moon reflected on it. (Translated by this author) Two common occasions that Tang poets write poetry—eing off a friend and huai gu (怀古) are combined in here. XI Shi’s beauty or tragic fate is diluted, and the contrast between past and prent, splendor and
