It is not common to see him in the mansion of Qi-wang, and I have heard of him several times in front of Cui Jiu's hall.
It is a good scenery in Jiangnan, and I meet you again at the time of falling flowers.
Notes:
1. Li Guinian: a famous musician in Tang Dynasty, appreciated by Emperor Xuanzong of Tang Dynasty, and later exiled to Jiangnan.
2. King of Manifold: Li Fan, the younger brother of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, who was named King of Manifold.
3, Cui Jiu: that is, Cui Dui, who was then serving as the Director of the Imperial Court.
Rhyming Translation:
When I was in the residence of the King of Qi, I often saw your performances; and in front of Cui Jiu's hall, I have admired your art many times. I didn't expect to meet you, my old acquaintance, here in Jiangnan, where the scenery is so beautiful; it is the time of falling flowers.
Analysis: ?
The poem is sentimental about the coolness of the world. Li Guinian was a famous singer in the early years of the reign of Yuan Dynasty, and used to sing in the aristocratic families. As a young man, Du Fu was so talented that he often went to the court of Li Fan, the king of Qi, and Cui Dui, the secretary-general, and was able to appreciate Li Guinian's art of singing. The first two lines of the poem are a reminiscence of his former contact with Li Guinian, symbolizing the poet's nostalgia for the heyday of the first year of the reign of the Yuan Dynasty; the last two lines are a lament for the withering of the country and the displacement of artists. Only four lines summarize the vicissitudes of the times and the great changes of life in the whole Kaiyuan period. The language is extremely plain, but the connotation is infinitely rich. As a result, it was recognized as "ShaoLing's seven poems, and this is the most important of them all."