| Chapter : | Introduction |
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the poetics of tihuashi, especially on that of Du Fu, who highly appraised and modeled Yu's later works. As Du wrote in his poem “Six Quatrains Playfully Written,” “Yu Xin's writing became even more accomplished at an older age; / [His] brush, soaring and striving, moves about freely.”39
During the same period, Princess Dayi (563-596) of the Northern Zhou dynasty (559-581) wrote “Poem Written About a Screen,” which may also be read as a tihuashi in its incipient form:
Rise and fall are the same as morning dew;
The way of the world resembles floating duckweed.
Fame and glory are truly hard to hold;
The pond-side terraces are eventually razed themselves.
The way of the world resembles floating duckweed.
Fame and glory are truly hard to hold;
The pond-side terraces are eventually razed themselves.
Fortune, where is it to be found today?
Painting, what's the purpose of “writing” it!
A cup of wine is often empty of pleasure;
The sound of strings no longer rings.
Painting, what's the purpose of “writing” it!
A cup of wine is often empty of pleasure;
The sound of strings no longer rings.
I used to be the child of the royal family,
and yet have drifted to the enemy's court.
Once I have seen successes and failures,
My heart suddenly turns turbulent.
and yet have drifted to the enemy's court.
Once I have seen successes and failures,
My heart suddenly turns turbulent.
Things have been thus since antiquity;
I am not alone in understanding this.
There is only “Song of Ming Jun [Wang Zhaojun]”
lamenting being married far away.
I am not alone in understanding this.
There is only “Song of Ming Jun [Wang Zhaojun]”
lamenting being married far away.
