Qingping Tune: Poem One
Clouds bring her robes to mind; flowers recall her face.
Spring wind brushes the rail, and dew deepens the blossoms’ glow.
If she was not seen on the peak of the Jade Mountain,
Surely she would be met beneath the moon at the jeweled terrace.
Notes
Qingping Tune is a musical title. Clouds and robes, flowers and a face are linked in the opening; the syntax admits more than one reading. Jade Mountain and the jeweled terrace evoke legendary immortal realms.
Meaning
Clouds, robes, flowers and a face are linked before the poem imagines a meeting in a legendary realm beneath the moon.
Appreciation
The poem links a figure with flowers and clouds before moving into a legendary moonlit setting.
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The opening syntax can be read in more than one direction, connecting pairs of images.
Wind and dew create a vivid scene; mountain and terrace extend it into myth.
Later accounts connect the group with a court flower-viewing occasion, but the poem can first be read through its images.
About the poet
Li Bai (c. 701–762), courtesy name Taibai, was a Tang poet whose travels inspired many poems about landscapes, friendship and journeys.
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Life: Li Bai grew up in the Shu region and traveled widely. He was summoned to serve at the Tang court before continuing his journeys.
Works: His poems include Thoughts on a Quiet Night, Viewing the Waterfall at Mount Lu and To Wang Lun.