To Son- 示儿
All turns to dust in my dying eyes,
only hatred is that a unified land is not seen.
When the day of the emperor's troops sweeping the North comes,
you must not forget to tell me before my tombstone.
Lu You (陆游)
The Ultimate Patriot & Tragic Romantic of the Song Dynasty (1125–1209 CE)
With an astonishing legacy of over 11,000 surviving poems, Lu You is an absolute titan of Chinese literature. Born just as the Northern Song Dynasty collapsed under foreign invasion, his entire life was consumed by a burning, unyielding desire to reconquer the lost northern territories. He was a fierce patriot and a warrior at heart, forever dreaming of leading cavalry through frozen rivers to crush the invaders. Yet, his grand military ambitions were repeatedly crushed by the corrupt, peace-seeking factions of the Southern Song court.
But there is another, deeply fragile side to this iron-willed poet: he is the protagonist of ancient China’s most heartbreaking real-life romance. Forced by his strict mother to divorce his deeply beloved wife, Tang Wan, their chance reunion years later at the Shen Garden (沈园) produced the legendary masterpiece "Tender Hands" (钗头凤)—a lyric of such profound sorrow that Tang Wan died of a broken heart shortly after reading it. To read Lu You is to experience the ultimate tragedy of a man whose heart bled equally for his ruined country and his lost love.
The Masterpieces
Song of Divination-Ode to the Mume Blossom- 卜算子·咏梅
Beside the broken bridge and outside the post-hall,
A flower is blooming forlorn.
Saddened by her solitude at night-fall,
By wind and rain she's further torn.
Let other flowers their envy pour.
To Spring she lays no claim.
Fallen in mud and ground to dust,she seems no more,
But her fragrance is still the same.
Tender hands- 钗头凤
Pink soft hands, yellow rippling wine,
The town is filled with Spring, willows by palace walls.
The east wind is biting, happiness is thin,
heart full of sorrow, so many years apart.
Wrong, Wrong, Wrong!
Spring is as of old; the person is empty and thin.
Traces of tears show through the sheer silk.
Peach blossoms falling, glimmering pond freezing,
The huge oath remains, the brocade book is hard to hold.
Don't, Don't, Don't!
The Complete Anthology
Iron Will & Patriotism (铁血与报国)
- Palace Visited at Night - A Dream 夜游宫·记梦…
- Rainstorm on the Eleventh month 4th… 十一月四日风…
- To Son 示儿
- Telling of Innermost Feelings 诉衷情·当年…
The Shen Garden Tragedy (沈园与绝恋)
- Two Poems at Shen Pavilion 沈园二首
- Tender hands 钗头凤