So he wanted to integrate. He wasn't content with just chatting with patrons in the taverns of Chang'an's East Market, saying things like "General So-and-so has pacified a certain country in the Western Regions" or "King So-and-so has come to Chang'an to pay homage to the Holy Emperor." He wanted to go to the palace, to His Majesty, to experience the grandeur of the Tang Dynasty, the place that truly represented the hopes of the world.
Although his talent was enough to warrant a recommendation for a government official position, it was not his wish; he did not want to be a court official. Then he thought that a prosperous dynasty should be accompanied by prosperous music, so he changed his name to Li Guinian and entered the palace as a musician.
Then he became famous.
He not only gained Emperor Xuanzong's favor but also the "favor" of the Imperial Concubine Yang. He frequented the residences of princes and nobles, and befriended famous scholars from all over the country. Wang Wei, Du Fu, and Li Bai were among his close friends. At that time, his favorite songs to sing were those of Wang Wei.
Unfortunately, the golden age did not last long. When Fan Yang raised his banner, the prosperity of the palace and the grandeur of Chang'an were destroyed. After the An Lushan Rebellion, he wandered to Jiangnan and met his old friend Du Fu from Chang'an during the "falling flowers season".
The line "It is precisely the beautiful scenery of Jiangnan, and I meet you again in the season of falling flowers" brings tears to one's eyes.
Duanmu Ci's gaze suddenly became distant, and he thought of the magnificent atmosphere of the Tang Dynasty and the most outstanding dances and songs of the era.
The flowing skirts of the imperial concubine that once fluttered in the Daming Palace should flutter again in a prosperous era a thousand years later.
Rainbow Skirt. (To be continued...)
P.S.: I've always felt that some poems are very well written, but they're so common that we've been reciting them since childhood. Because of this familiarity, we tend to overlook their beauty.
For example, the poem "It is the beautiful scenery of Jiangnan, and I meet you again when the flowers are falling" contains a heartache that is simply beyond words; one can only shed tears.
Wang Wei's "I urge you to drink another cup of wine, for beyond Yangguan there will be no old friends," should also be considered the pinnacle of farewell poems. I believe its sentiment cannot be compared to the simple line "Though separated by vast oceans and seas, true friends are never far apart."
Or there's Du Mu's "Four hundred and eighty temples of the Southern Dynasties, all nestled in the misty rain of Jiangnan." While it lacks any ornate language, unlike his "Ode to the Epang Palace" with its carved railings and jade steps, it is nonetheless exquisitely beautiful. Its language is so simple that even I had never truly appreciated its beauty. It wasn't until one rainy night after school, standing at the top of the stairs looking outside, that I suddenly understood the magnificence of this poem.
And then there's the line, "The sound of wind and rain last night, how many flowers have fallen?" It seems casual, but who could possibly recite such beautiful, unadorned words after waking up in spring? Even an illiterate person could appreciate its beauty.
There are just too many, far too many...
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