Galleries and Translations > Recent Works / Poetry and Others >A Quatrain Written in a Summer / At the Wu River 夏日絕句 / 烏江
A Quatrain Written in a Summer / At the Wu River
by Li Qingzhao
( 李清照《夏日絕句》/ 《烏江》)
72 X 38 cm
A Quatrain Written in a Summer / At the Wu River
(《夏日絕句》/ 《烏江》)
(《夏日絕句》/ 《烏江》)
72 X 38 cm in Clerical Script (隸書)
Translation
Original Chinese
English Translation
1. 生當作人傑,
Live to be a person with gallant valour,
2. 死亦爲鬼雄。
Die to become a ghost with a heroic aura.
3. 至今思項羽,
Even now, we all remember Xiang Yu (1), the conqueror,
4. 不肯過江東。
For he willed not to retreat East by crossing the Wu River (2).
(translated by KS Vincent POON, March 2023)
Remarks
(I)
This poem was composed by Li Qingzhao (李清照, 1084 – 1151 AD) of the Song Dynasty. It was written in 1129 AD (3) when she followed her husband, Zhao Mingcheng (趙明誠, 1081-1129 AD), to flee Jiankang (建康, now Nanjing, 南京) from the northern invading Jurchens (女真) (4). This poem expresses her anguish in having a husband who chose not to stand his ground honorably to fight against the northern invaders.
(II)
Li was born into an aristocratic family. Her father, Li Gefei (李格非, 1045-1105 AD) was a renowned literati (5) and a revered government official (6). Her mother was also adept at writing (7). At the age of 21, Li married Zhao Mingcheng, who was a scholar (8) and the son of senior statesman Zhao Tingzhi (趙挺之, 1040-1107 AD) (9). After marriage, Li helped Zhao Mingcheng finish his masterpiece Catalogue of Bronze and Stone Inscriptions (《金石錄》) before his death in 1129 AD (10).
(III)
Li is often regarded as the greatest female poet in Chinese history (11). Contemporary scholar Zheng Zhenduo (鄭振鐸, 1898-1958 AD) held Li’s literary style was so unique that it “had never been achieved before and will never be equalled in the future (前無古人, 後無來者)”(12). Regrettably, most of her writings were lost during the Jurchen invasion (13).
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(1). Xiang Yu (項羽, 232-202BC) was the conqueror who overthrew the Qin Dynasty. He later lost decisively to Liu Bang (劉邦, 256-195 BC) in the Battle of Gaixia (垓下之戰), refused to retreat with shame, and eventually committed suicide at the Wu River (烏江). See 司馬遷 《史記》 Vol. 7, 項羽本紀. Hong Kong: 廣智書局, 出版年份缺, p.26.
(2). Many interpret “江東” as Jiandong, the region southeast of the Yangtze River (長江), the home of Xiang Yu. However, judging from the documentation of the Battle of Gaixia (垓下之戰) in 《史記》and the usage of “過 (cross)”, “江” in the poem undoubtedly refers to “烏江 (Wu River)".
(3). 徐培均, 《李清照集笺注》. Shanghai: 上海古籍出版社, 2002, p.238.
(4). 李清照 , 《金石錄後序》. 欽定四庫全書史部金石錄, 乾隆四十一年版, pp.1-6.
(5). 鄭振鐸, 《中國文學史》. Shanghai: Shanghai Commerical Press, 1932, p.505.
(6). 《宋史》Vol. 444 李格非列傳. Taipei: 藝文印書館, 乾隆武英殿版, pp.12-13.
(7). 鄭振鐸, as in footnote (5), p.506.
(8). Ibid..
(9). 《宋史》, as in footnote (6), p.13.
(10). 李清照, as in footnote (4).
(11). 鄭振鐸, as in footnote (5).
(12). Ibid..
(13). Ibid..
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