El sol matutino y el ruiseñor roto acompañan mi llanto,
al descorrer la cortina solo veo hierba crecida.
A veces el viento del este entra en el patio,
y mil ramas de sauce se inclinan todas hacia el oeste.
Texto original
「代春怨」
刘方平
朝日残莺伴妾啼，开帘只见草萋萋。
庭前时有东风入，杨柳千条尽向西。
Antigua práctica
This poem was composed during the mid-Tang Dynasty. Liu Fangping, who lived a reclusive life with an unsuccessful official career, often drew inspiration from nature and women's inner feelings for his poetry. This piece belongs to the "persona poem" genre (代言体), where the poet writes from a female perspective, using a longing wife's eyes and heart to convey emotions. During the Tang Dynasty, frequent frontier wars often forced conscripts to garrison the western borders for long periods, leaving their wives alone at home. Thus, poems about lonely wives' grievances became popular. Though brief, this poem captures a woman's profound longing for her absent husband through her morning observations.
First Couplet: «朝日残莺伴妾啼，开帘只见草萋萋。»
Zhāo rì cán yīng bàn qiè tí, kāi lián zhǐ jiàn cǎo qīqī.
The morning sun rises as lingering orioles seem to weep with me; drawing the curtain, I see only lush grass stretching far and wide.
The opening lines establish the setting with "morning sun" indicating springtime and "lingering orioles" hinting at late spring's end. The orioles' mournful songs mirror the woman's sobs, intensifying her solitude. "Lush grass" depicts boundless spring scenery, which instead of bringing joy, evokes离别 sorrow, blending emotion with scenery in a deeply implicit manner.
Second Couplet: «庭前时有东风入，杨柳千条尽向西。»
Tíng qián shí yǒu dōngfēng rù, yángliǔ qiān tiáo jìn xiàng xī.
The east wind often sweeps into the courtyard; thousands of willow branches sway westward.
The second coupleplet introduces dynamic imagery. "East wind blowing in" is a natural phenomenon, but "all swaying westward" carries profound meaning. During the Tang Dynasty, garrisons were often stationed in the western frontiers, and wives would gaze westward daily. The willow branches bending westward in the wind externalize her emotions. Scene and feeling echo each other, channeling endless longing into nature, forming a subtle and poignant conclusion.
Análisis Integral
This poem depicts scenery throughout, yet every line is infused with emotion. The first couplelet describes orioles' songs and lush grass, using static imagery to reflect loneliness; the second couplelet portrays the east wind entering and willows leaning west, using dynamic scenes to convey westward gazes. Seemingly ordinary morning views gain symbolic meaning through the longing wife's perspective. Without directly stating "grievance" or "sorrow," the poem overflows with melancholy, embodying deep yet restrained emotions.
Beyond portraying a woman's longing, the poem reflects the painful separations inflicted by frontier wars on Tang families. Using the persona technique, the poet makes the woman's voice authentic and natural—subtle yet sincere, delicate yet profound—creating a moving artistic style.
Recursos Estilísticos
- Persona Technique
Writing from a female perspective makes the emotional expression more genuine and relatable. - Emotion Through Scenery
Without explicitly mentioning "grief," the poem conveys deep离别 sorrow through images like lingering orioles, lush grass, and willows. - Static-Dynamic Balance
The first couplelet features static scenes (morning sun, orioles, grass), while the second introduces dynamic elements (east wind, willows), enriching the visual layers. - Subtle Profundity
Instead of direct outpouring, emotions are implicitly conveyed through natural symbolism, leaving ample room for readers' imagination. - Harmonious Rhythm
The lines flow smoothly with natural rhymes, creating a melodious quality that enhances the哀怨 beauty.
Reflection
The power of literature lies in subtlety and symbolism: without directly describing sorrow, a lone oriole's cry, a patch of lush grass, or a gust of east wind can evoke profound grief. It reminds us that genuine emotions often reside in everyday scenes, awaiting heartfelt appreciation. Simultaneously, the poem mirrors social realities—the suffering caused by war-induced separations—calling for cherishing peace and reunion. Reading it today, one can still resonate with that timeless longing and shared humanity.
Sobre el poeta
Liu Fangping (刘方平 aprox. 742 – aprox. 785), originario de Luoyang en Henan. Poeta ermitaño y pintor que abarcó desde el Alto hasta el Medio Tang, se distinguió por un estilo poético delicado y sutil, diestro en describir lamentos del tocador y noches de luna. Aunque solo sobreviven 26 de sus poemas en los Poemas Completos de Tang, obras como Noche de Luna y Lamento Primaveral le aseguraron un lugar en el canon de la poesía tang. Aclamado como "la voz pura del Alto Tang y heraldo del Medio Tang", su poesía fusionó la lucidez del estilo Qi-Liang con la serenidad zen, influenciando profundamente la posterior tradición lírica ci y la literatura femenina de la era Heian en Japón.
