A Song of the Southern River by Li Yi

Since I married the merchant of Ch'ut'ang
He has failed each day to keep his word.
Had I thought how regular the tide is,
I might rather have chosen a riverboy.

Original Poem

「江南曲」
嫁得瞿塘贾，朝朝误妾期。
早知潮有信，嫁与弄潮儿。

李益

Interpretation

This Tang dynasty poem belongs to the "boudoir plaint" genre, portraying the resentment of a merchant's wife left alone at home awaiting her husband's uncertain return. During the Tang era's commercial prosperity, merchants frequently traveled for business, leaving their wives in perpetual expectation. Such "boudoir plaint" poems generally fall into two categories: missing soldier-husbands and resenting merchant-husbands, with this work being a quintessential example of the latter. The poet employs straightforward language to vividly capture the merchant wife's psychological state, enhanced by ingenious metaphors that amplify the poetic expression.

First Couplet: "嫁得瞿塘贾，朝朝误妾期。"
Jià dé Qútáng gǔ, zhāo zhāo wù qiè qī.
"Married to a Qutang trader / Day after day he breaks his promise to return"
The poet directly voices the wife's disappointment and resentment from the outset. Repeatedly expecting her husband's homecoming only to be disappointed, whether due to business demands or blocked trade routes, he continually violates his promised return dates. The word "breaks" (误) sharply conveys her bitter sorrow, blending reproach with helpless lament.

Second Couplet: "早知潮有信，嫁与弄潮儿。"
Zǎo zhī cháo yǒu xìn, jià yǔ nòngcháo ér.
"Had I known the tides kept faith / I'd have married a tide-chaser instead"
Here the poet cleverly contrasts the tides' reliability with the merchant's unreliability. The tides ebb and flow with predictable regularity, while her husband's returns are perpetually delayed. Faced with endless waiting and repeated disappointment, she humorously regrets not marrying someone whose life follows nature's dependable rhythms rather than enduring this cycle of hope and letdown. Though seemingly absurd, this exaggerated wish precisely conveys her profound frustration through its very extremity, making the emotion palpably real and moving.

Holistic Appreciation

Though compact, the poem masterfully employs contrast and irony to fully express the merchant wife's anguish. The comparison between the tides' "faithfulness" and the husband's "broken promises" creates a vivid, novel metaphor that renders her resentment strikingly authentic. Her wish to have married a tide-chaser isn't literal, but rather a self-mocking hyperbole born of extreme longing and vexation. This approach not only intensifies the poem's emotional power but also makes the character more vivid.

Additionally, the poem uses plain depiction—simple, unadorned language with remarkable expressive force. The lines feel like the wife's spontaneous outburst, genuine and natural, carrying the rustic charm of folk ballads. Instead of direct emotional outpourings, the poet subtly conveys feelings through seemingly casual statements, allowing readers to better grasp the underlying sorrow.

Artistic Merits

1. Vivid Contrast: The tides' "faithfulness" highlights the husband's "broken promises," creating a striking juxtaposition that emphasizes the wife's resentment.
2. Plain Language with Folk Charm: The poem's brevity and simplicity give it the feel of an offhand complaint, yet it remains deeply moving.
3. Subtle and Genuine Emotion: Though resentful toward her husband, she expresses it indirectly through the hypothetical "marrying a tide-chaser," making her melancholy all the more poignant.
4. Profound Social Implications: Beyond one woman's grievances, this reflects the voiceless plight of countless neglected women in feudal society, granting the poem broader significance.

Insights

This poem transcends personal lament to expose the helplessness and isolation of women in feudal society. While merchants pursued profit across the land, their wives endured interminable waits and solitude at home. Their emotional needs were often ignored, and their grievances had no outlet. Through simple, everyday language, the poem lays bare the predicament of women in that era, evoking both wry smiles and deep sympathy from readers.

Poem translator

Kiang Kanghu

About the poet

Li Yi (李益), 748 - 829 AD, a native of Wuwei in Gansu Province, was one of the “Ten Scholarly Men of the Dali Dynasty”, and is best known for his works on the border and the Plateau, especially for his seven-character stanzas. His poems had a harmonious rhythm and were sung by musicians at that time.