Feeling the chill of history
Li Pin experiences his Han Dynasty heritage as something cold
A Vision of Spring at the Leyou Gardens
Li Pin
.
At the Han mausoleums
Evening chill and spring warmth compete.
It’s a site of imperial ambition:
Some met with triumph, some defeat.
The rivers and mountains of the Qin heartland,
Through the pass and into the south,
So far that the palaces of Chang’an
Faded into the cloud.
But around Weiyang Palace,
Royal seat of the Han,
The trees still show green each spring,
And when moonlight falls on Changle Hall,
Its ancient bells still ring.
These wistful thoughts arise unbidden
When the wisps of seeds
Fill the sky like snow,
From wintry willow trees.
Li Pin (818-876) experienced a range of emotions in the beautiful scenery to the south of Chang’an. This area was known as Leyou Gardens during the Han Dynasty, and the River Qu pleasure lake during the Tang. Li deliberately uses the older name in his title to help orient us. And he discusses not the scenery, but the tombs of the Han emperors, which can still be found there today. This poem encapsulates the mainstream Tang Dynasty attitude toward the Han: admiration at its successes, pride in being its successor, and sadness at its passing. Li turns coldness into a metaphor for this tragic aspect of history.
Qin was the name of the country that ruled the eastern part of the central Chinese plain (modern Shaanxi Province) during the Warring States period, and the name Qin continued to be used to refer to this part of the country. This was the heartland of the Han and Tang empires: the capital Chang’an was close to the old capital of Qin.
The Weiyang Palace was the name of the main Han royal palace in Chang’an. Changle Hall was another royal residence in the same city.
李频 乐游原春望
五陵佳气晚氛氲，霸业雄图势自分。
秦地山河连楚塞，汉家宫殿入青云。
未央树色春中见，长乐钟声月下闻。
无那杨华起愁思，满天飘落雪纷纷。