Xu Zaisi
Encyclopedia
Xu Zaisi was a Yuan dynasty
Chinese poet in sanqu
style. His courtesy name was Deke (德可). He is said to have relished sweets, thereby adopting the pen name Tianzhai (甜斋, “Sweets Study”). His son Xu Shanchang also achieved notoriety. The elder Xu was at least a minor figure in officialdom, holding the rank of Circuit Sub official Functionary for Jiaxing
in Zhejiang
, his home city.
Towers and halls
Of the old temple by the river.
Autumn colors slip into the water.
Green grass by the ruined wall,
Fallen leaves by the empty portico.
Green moss by the half-hidden stairs.
The stranger goes south
As the sun dips westward,
The river toward the east.
Magnolia blossoms stay
As the monks question,
“For whom?”
MOORED AT NIGHT ON AN AUTUMN RIVER
As the sun sets ten thousand points of evening crows;
West wind, flowering reeds on the banks of the river.
The boat is moored by a river tavern;
And that romantic court minister-
In his dream of green skirts,
A lute.
ON THE RIVER NEAR CHANG MOUNTAIN
Hills far away,
Hills close;
All a blur of blue-green.
Confusion of stones in the rapids as we sail against the currant.
Narrow as if the joined clouds were walls.
Sun sinks, crows at dusk;
West wind and homeward geese.
I sigh because the way is hard.
Blocked here
Then blocked again,
And everywhere fish soup to eat!
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...
Chinese poet in sanqu
Sanqu
Sanqu was a type of verse, compiled by Zhou Deqing , popular in the Yuan Dynasty, Ming Dynasty and Qing Dynasty, with tonal patterns modeled on tunes drawn from folk music.-Yuan Dynasty Sanqu:...
style. His courtesy name was Deke (德可). He is said to have relished sweets, thereby adopting the pen name Tianzhai (甜斋, “Sweets Study”). His son Xu Shanchang also achieved notoriety. The elder Xu was at least a minor figure in officialdom, holding the rank of Circuit Sub official Functionary for Jiaxing
Jiaxing
Jiaxing is a prefecture-level city in northern Zhejiang province of Eastern China. Lying on the Grand Canal of China, Jiaxing borders Hangzhou to the southwest, Huzhou to the west, Shanghai to the northeast, and the province of Jiangsu to the north....
in Zhejiang
Zhejiang
Zhejiang is an eastern coastal province of the People's Republic of China. The word Zhejiang was the old name of the Qiantang River, which passes through Hangzhou, the provincial capital...
, his home city.
POEMS
THINKING OF ANCIENT TIMES AT GANLUTowers and halls
Of the old temple by the river.
Autumn colors slip into the water.
Green grass by the ruined wall,
Fallen leaves by the empty portico.
Green moss by the half-hidden stairs.
The stranger goes south
As the sun dips westward,
The river toward the east.
Magnolia blossoms stay
As the monks question,
“For whom?”
MOORED AT NIGHT ON AN AUTUMN RIVER
As the sun sets ten thousand points of evening crows;
West wind, flowering reeds on the banks of the river.
The boat is moored by a river tavern;
And that romantic court minister-
In his dream of green skirts,
A lute.
ON THE RIVER NEAR CHANG MOUNTAIN
Hills far away,
Hills close;
All a blur of blue-green.
Confusion of stones in the rapids as we sail against the currant.
Narrow as if the joined clouds were walls.
Sun sinks, crows at dusk;
West wind and homeward geese.
I sigh because the way is hard.
Blocked here
Then blocked again,
And everywhere fish soup to eat!