Wang Yun (poet)
Encyclopedia
Wang Yun was a writer of Chinese Sanqu poetry
from Weizhou
in Henan
province. He was born during the Jin Dynasty, but became an official under the Yuan Dynasty
. Initially a local official, he was given a series of appointments in Hebei
, Henan, Shantong and Fujian
provinces starting in 1268. Later he was summoned to the capital where he served in the Hanlin Academy
. At twenty he became the acquaintance of the renowned writer Yuan Haowen
. He was a noted prose stylist in the Tang
manner of unadorned directness. His poetry often depicted the downtrodden and the poor. His collected works in one-hundred fascicles is extant. A biography of Wang exists in the official history of the Yuan Dynasty
(元史). Forty-one of his sanqu are extant.
Untitled
1.
Autumn green lotuses
And a calm lake stitched with clouds.
A cassia boat sews the moistness.
A song, a full cup of wine
Relieve the sorrow.
How can a man’s life be as before?
When drunk I remember;
Then as now there were flowering branches,
Though now they blush above this old man’s head.
(Yuediao: Pinghuyue)
On the Birthday of Mrs. Li
1.
The eyes enjoy a person at peace.
Your bracelets and ornaments are graced with fragrance.
The gem in the grotto shows its luster.
Eight thousand springs!
Mists announce this letter of long life,
I buy another cup of wine.
You, goddess by the vast sea,
Watch in peace
The stirrings of the world’s dust.
Chinese Sanqu poetry
Chinese Sanqu poetry refers to a fixed-rhythm form of Classical Chinese poetry, or "literary song", specifically sanqu is a subtype of the qu formal type of poetry. Sanqu was a notable Chinese poetic form, possibly beginning in the Jin Dynasty ; but, especially associated with the Yuan , Ming ,...
from Weizhou
Weizhou
Weizhou Island is a Chinese island in the Gulf of Tonkin. The largest island of Guangxi province, Weizhou is west of Leizhou Peninsula, south of Beihai, and east of Vietnam...
in Henan
Henan
Henan , is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the central part of the country. Its one-character abbreviation is "豫" , named after Yuzhou , a Han Dynasty state that included parts of Henan...
province. He was born during the Jin Dynasty, but became an official under the Yuan Dynasty
Yuan Dynasty
The Yuan Dynasty , or Great Yuan Empire was a ruling dynasty founded by the Mongol leader Kublai Khan, who ruled most of present-day China, all of modern Mongolia and its surrounding areas, lasting officially from 1271 to 1368. It is considered both as a division of the Mongol Empire and as an...
. Initially a local official, he was given a series of appointments in Hebei
Hebei
' is a province of the People's Republic of China in the North China region. Its one-character abbreviation is "" , named after Ji Province, a Han Dynasty province that included what is now southern Hebei...
, Henan, Shantong and Fujian
Fujian
' , formerly romanised as Fukien or Huguing or Foukien, is a province on the southeast coast of mainland China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, and Guangdong to the south. Taiwan lies to the east, across the Taiwan Strait...
provinces starting in 1268. Later he was summoned to the capital where he served in the Hanlin Academy
Hanlin Academy
The Hanlin Academy was an academic and administrative institution founded in the eighth century Tang dynasty China by Emperor Xuanzong.Membership in the academy was confined to an elite group of scholars, who performed secretarial and literary tasks for the court. One of its main duties was to...
. At twenty he became the acquaintance of the renowned writer Yuan Haowen
Yuan Haowen
The Chinese Sanqu poetry writer Yuan Haowen 元好問 was also known as Yishan 遺山 or “Yuan of Yi Mountain.” He was from Xinzhou in Shanxi province. His ancestors were of non-Chinese origins who changed their surname to Yuan. His father experienced disappointments in life and later led a secluded...
. He was a noted prose stylist in the Tang
Tang Dynasty
The Tang Dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China preceded by the Sui Dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. It was founded by the Li family, who seized power during the decline and collapse of the Sui Empire...
manner of unadorned directness. His poetry often depicted the downtrodden and the poor. His collected works in one-hundred fascicles is extant. A biography of Wang exists in the official history of the Yuan Dynasty
History of Yuan
The History of Yuan is one of the official Chinese historical works known as the Twenty-Four Histories of China. The historical work consists of 210 chapters chronicling the history of the Genghisid Yuan Dynasty from the time of Genghis Khan to the flight of the last Yuan Emperor Huizong from...
(元史). Forty-one of his sanqu are extant.
Translations
(Yuediao: Pinghuyue)Untitled
1.
Autumn green lotuses
And a calm lake stitched with clouds.
A cassia boat sews the moistness.
A song, a full cup of wine
Relieve the sorrow.
How can a man’s life be as before?
When drunk I remember;
Then as now there were flowering branches,
Though now they blush above this old man’s head.
(Yuediao: Pinghuyue)
On the Birthday of Mrs. Li
1.
The eyes enjoy a person at peace.
Your bracelets and ornaments are graced with fragrance.
The gem in the grotto shows its luster.
Eight thousand springs!
Mists announce this letter of long life,
I buy another cup of wine.
You, goddess by the vast sea,
Watch in peace
The stirrings of the world’s dust.