Listen to this articleMeeting Li Guinian at Jiangnan
Often we met at Prince Qi’s Palace and
Many times I heard you at Lord Cui’s home and
Just now, at Jiangnan, when the earth is its finest
When blossoms are falling, we meet again, by chance
Notes
Poetry, calligraphy, music and art all flourished in the Tang dynasty.
But then, glory and flame are fleeting. And chance plays a major part in whether we end up rich man or poor man, poet or recluse, court musician or street performer.
Du Fu was one of the Tang dynasty’s greatest poets. He was also a prominent civil servant who unfortunately found his star falling at the close of his life.
Li Guinian was a famous musician of the same time. Likewise, his fortunes, fell during the An Lushan Rebellion, and so he ended up as a street performer South of the Yangtze River, where the encounter described in the poem took place.
Title
A literal translation of the title is At Jiangnan Meeting Li Guinian. Jiangnan also translates as South of the River, but it is also a place name. Du Fu intended both meanings.
The poem’s date
A fateful event triggered a change in fortune. This was the An Lushan Rebellion, which began in 755 and ended 8 years alter.
The poem, therefore, can be dated after this and before Du Fu’s death in 770. It would not be too far a stretch to spot the time of the meeting between poet and musician to after 765, when Du Fu and his family sailed down the Yangtze, with the intention of making their way to Luoyang, Du Fu’s birthplace.
Prince Qi and Cui Jui
Prince Qi, named in the poem, likely refers to a brother of the Tang Emperor Xuanzong. Cui Jiu likely refers to a member of the Cui clan of Qinghe, and chancellor to the emperor. I confess to confusion in the translation of Cui Jui. Jui means 9th, but I doubt that Du Fu is referring to a 9th son. Rather, it is likely Cui Jui was a prominent person in the emperor’s entourage. Exactly who is a mystery. Other Tang poets like Pei Di have referred to Cui Jui, (see A Farewell to Cui Jiu), so one suspects there is more to the passing reference.
Jiangnan
Jiangnan (South of the River) is generally described as the to lands immediately to south of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River. Most translations of Du Fu’s poem use the literal English South of the River, rather than the geographic place name, Jiangnan. There is an argument either way, Jiangnan is more sonorous, South of the River has a better implied connotation. Crossing the river and south of the river might both be metaphors for a tragic but happy or sad change in one’s fortunes.
Original Chinese
江 南 逢 李 龜 年
岐 王 宅 裡 尋 常 見
崔 九 堂 前 幾 度 聞
正 是 江 南 好 風 景
落 花 時 節 又 逢 君
Pinyin
Jiāngnán féng lǐ guī nián
qí wáng zhái lǐ xún chángjiàn
cuī jiǔ tángqián jǐdù wén
zhèng shì jiāngnán hǎo fēngjǐng
luòhuā shíjié yòu féng jūn
French
Li Guinian et moi, nous nous rencontrons
Au Palais du Prince Qi, souvent, nous nous sommes rencontrés
Chez le maître Cui, plusieurs fois, je vous ai entendu
Tout à l’heure, à Jiangnan, quand la terre est son meilleur
Quand la floraison tombe, on se retrouve, par chance
江南逢李龟年
杜甫 〔唐代〕
岐王宅里寻常见，崔九堂前几度闻。
正是江南好风景，落花时节又逢君。
译文及注释
译文
当年我经常在岐王与崔九的住宅里见到你并听到你的歌声。
现在正好是江南风景秀美的时候，在这暮春季节再次遇见了你。
注释
李龟年：唐朝开元、天宝年间的著名乐师，擅长唱歌。因为受到皇帝唐玄宗的宠幸而红极一时。“安史之乱”后，李龟年流落江南，卖艺为生。
岐王：唐玄宗李隆基的弟弟李隆范（后改名李范），以好学爱才著称，雅善音律。
寻常：经常。
崔九：崔涤，在兄弟中排行第九，中书令崔湜的弟弟。玄宗时，曾任殿中监，出入禁中，得玄宗宠幸。崔姓，是当时一家大姓，以此表明李龟年原来受赏识。
江南：这里指今湖南省一带。
落花时节：暮春，通常指阴历三月。落花的寓意很多，人衰老飘零，社会的凋弊丧乱都在其中。
君：指李龟年。▲
赏析
诗是感伤世态炎凉的。李龟年是唐玄宗初年的著名歌手，常在贵族豪门歌唱。杜甫少年时才华卓著，常出入于岐王李隆范和中书监崔涤的门庭，得以欣赏李龟年的歌唱艺术。诗的开首二句是追忆昔日与李龟年的接触，寄寓诗人对开元初年鼎盛的眷怀；后两句是对国事凋零，艺人颠沛流离的感慨。仅仅四句却概括了整个开元时期（注：开元时期为713年—741年）的时代沧桑，人生巨变。语极平淡，内涵却无限丰满。
李龟年是开元时期“特承顾遇”的著名歌唱家。杜甫初逢李龟年，正是在意气风发的少年时期，正值“开元盛世”。杜甫因才华早著而受到歧王李范和秘书监崔涤的赏识，得以在他们的府邸欣赏李龟年的歌唱。在杜甫的心目中，李龟年正是和鼎盛的开元时代，也和自己充满浪漫情调的青少年时期的生活紧紧联结在一起的。几十年后他们又在江南重逢。这时遭受了八年安史之乱的唐朝也已从繁荣昌盛转入衰落，他们二人的晚景也十分凄凉。这种会见，自然很容易触发杜甫胸中本已郁积的无限沧桑之感。这首诗跨越了几十年的时代沧桑，社会变迁，景物的描写寄寓了诗人对世道衰落的感慨。全诗情韵深厚，内蕴丰富，举重若轻，具有高度的艺术成就。
“岐王宅里寻常见，崔九堂前几度闻。”当年在岐王宅里，常常见到你的演出;在崔九堂前，也曾多次欣赏你的艺术。开头二句虽然是在追忆昔日与李龟年的接触，流露的却是对开元全盛日的深情怀念。下语似乎很轻，含蕴的情感却很重。“岐王”，唐玄宗的弟弟、唐睿宗(李旦)的儿子李范，封岐王，以好学爱才著称，雅善音律。“崔九”，名涤，是中书令崔湜的弟弟，经常出入皇宫，是唐玄宗的宠臣，曾任秘书监。他在同族弟兄辈中排行第九，故称崔九。“岐王宅”、“崔九堂”，仿佛信口道出，但在当事者心目中，这两个开元鼎盛时期文艺名流经常雅集之处，它们的名字，就足以勾起昔日的美好回忆。当年出入其间，接触李龟年这样的艺术明星，是很寻常的，可是现在回想起来，却已是可望而不可及的梦境了。两句诗在迭唱和咏叹中，好像是要拉长回味的时间似的。这里蕴含的天上人间之感，需要结合下两句才能品味出来。
“正是江南好风景，落花时节又逢君。”眼下正是江南暮春的大好风光，没有想到落花时节能巧遇你这位老相识。昔日不再，梦一样的回忆，改变不了眼前的无奈。后两句对国事凋零、艺人颠沛流离的感慨，概括了整个开元时期的沧桑巨变。风景秀丽的江南，在和平时代，原是诗人们所向往的快意之游的所在。如今真正置身其间，面对的却是满眼凋零的落花和皤然白首的流落艺人。“落花时节”，既是即景书事，也是有意无意之间的寄兴。熟悉时代和杜甫身世的读者，定会从中联想起世运的衰颓、社会的动乱和诗人的衰病漂泊，而丝毫不觉得诗人在刻意设喻。因而，这种写法显得浑成无迹。“正是”和“又”这两个虚词，一转一跌，更在字里行间，寓藏着无限感慨。
四句诗，从岐王宅里、崔九堂前的“闻”歌，到落花江南的重“逢”，“闻”、“逢”之间，联结着四十年的时代沧桑、人生巨变。尽管诗中没有一笔正面涉及时世身世，但透过诗人的追忆感喟，却表现出了给唐代社会物质财富和文化繁荣带来浩劫的那场大动乱的阴影，以及它给人们造成的巨大灾难和心灵创伤。可以说“世运之治乱，华年之盛衰，彼此之凄凉流落，俱在其中”（孙洙评）。正如同旧戏舞台上不用布景，观众通过演员的歌唱表演，可以想象出极广阔的空间背景和事件过程；又像小说里往往通过一个人的命运，反映一个时代一样。这首诗的成功创作表明：在具有高度艺术概括力和丰富生活体验的大诗人那里，绝句这样短小的体裁可以具有很大的容量，而在表现如此丰富的内容时，又能达到举重若轻、浑然无迹的艺术境界。 ▲
appreciation
Poetry is sentimental. Li Guinian, a famous singer in the early years of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, often sang in the noble and powerful families. Du Fu was very talented when he was young. He often went to the door of Li Longfan, the King of Qi, and Cui Di, the supervisor of the secondary school, to enjoy the singing art of Li Guinian. The first two sentences of the poem recall the contact with Li Guinian in the past and express the poet’s nostalgia for the prosperity of the early years of the Kaiyuan era; The last two sentences are about the decline of state affairs and the wandering of artists. Only four sentences summarize the vicissitudes of the times and great changes in life throughout the Kaiyuan period (note: the Kaiyuan period is 713-741 years). The language is very plain, but the connotation is infinite and full.
Li Guinian was a famous singer in the Kaiyuan period who was “a special patron”. Du Fu first met the Year of Li Gui. It was in his high spirited youth that he was in the “golden age of Kaiyuan”. Du Fu was appreciated by Li Fan, the King of Qi, and Cui Di, the secretary supervisor, for his early talent. He was able to enjoy Li Guinian’s singing in their mansion. In Du Fu’s mind, Li Guinian is closely connected with the heyday of the Kaiyuan era and his romantic teenage life. Decades later, they met again in Jiangnan. At this time, the Tang Dynasty, which had suffered eight years of An Shi Rebellion, had also turned from prosperity to decline, and their late life was also very bleak. This kind of meeting naturally triggered Du Fu’s already smoldering sense of infinite vicissitudes. This poem spans decades of vicissitudes of the times, social changes, and the description of scenery conveys the poet’s feelings about the decline of the world. The whole poem has profound charm, rich connotation, and high artistic achievements.
“It’s common to see King Qi in his mansion. Cui has heard about it several times in front of the Ninth Hall.” In those days, I often saw your performances in King Qi’s residence; I have appreciated your art many times before Cui Jiutang. Although the first two sentences are reminiscent of the past contact with Li Guinian, they reveal the deep memory of Kaiyuan’s heyday. The following words seem to be light, but the implied feelings are heavy. “King Qi”, Li Fan, the younger brother of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty and the son of Emperor Ruizong of the Tang Dynasty (Li Dan), was crowned King Qi. He was famous for his love of talent and his elegant voice. Cui Jiu, named Di, was the younger brother of Cui Shi, who often went to and from the imperial palace. He was a favorite minister of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty and served as a secretary supervisor. He is the ninth brother of the same clan, so he is called Cui Jiu. “Qiwang Mansion” and “Cui Jiutang” seem to be spoken out by faith, but in the minds of the people concerned, these two places where literary and artistic celebrities often gathered in the heyday of the Kaiyuan era, their names are enough to recall the good memories of the past. It was very common to get in touch with an art star like Li Guinian in those days, but in retrospect, it is a dream beyond our reach. The two lines of poetry in repeated singing and chanting seem to prolong the aftertaste. The sense of heaven and earth contained here needs to be combined with the following two sentences to taste.
“It is the beautiful scenery in the south of the Yangtze River, and you will meet you again when the flowers fall.” This is the beautiful scenery of late spring in the south of the Yangtze River. I didn’t expect to meet you by chance during the falling flower season. The past is no longer, the memories like dreams can not change the current helplessness. The last two sentences are filled with feelings about the decline of state affairs and the wandering of artists, summarizing the vicissitudes of the whole Kaiyuan period. In the peaceful times, the beautiful Jiangnan was the place where poets yearned for a pleasant journey. Now, when I am really in the midst of it, I am faced with withered fallen flowers and exiled artists with white heads. The “flower falling season” is not only an impromptu book event, but also a fun occasion intentionally or unintentionally. Readers who are familiar with the times and Du Fu’s life experience will definitely think of the decline of the world, the social turmoil and the decline and vagrancy of the poet, without the slightest feeling that the poet is deliberately making a metaphor. Therefore, this kind of writing seems to be perfect. The two function words, “Zhengshi” and “Youyou”, turn and fall, and even more, they contain infinite feelings between the lines.
The four lines of poetry, from the “Wen” song in front of King Qi’s house and Cui Jiutang to the heavy “Feng”, “Wen” and “Feng” in the south of Luohua River, are connected with the vicissitudes of the times and great changes in life over the past 40 years. Although there is no direct reference to the current life experience in the poem, through the poet’s recollection and sighing, it shows the shadow of the great upheaval that brought havoc to the material wealth and cultural prosperity of the Tang Dynasty, as well as the huge disaster and spiritual trauma it caused to people. It can be said that “the chaos of the world, the rise and fall of China, and the desolation and exile of each other are all in it” (Sun Zhu comments). Just as there is no set on the stage of the same old drama, the audience can imagine a vast space background and event process through the singing performance of the actors; It is also like that novels often reflect an era through a person’s fate. The successful creation of this poem shows that, for a great poet who has a high degree of artistic generalization and rich life experience, such a short style as quatrains can have a great capacity, and when expressing such rich content, it can reach the artistic realm of lifting heavy as light as possible and being unobtrusive. ▲
