Out of Sight: Beauty Ignored
The first Out of Sight poem recalls the beauty of Zhao Feiyan
Out of Sight
Liu Yun
.
Island in the stream
The palace looks on heaven and the deep
Heady springtime green
As cherry blossoms fall like flying snow
Disguised as "Zhang," unseen
The prince will fall in love with Zhao Feiyan
Years on, forsaken queen
Now sweeps Devotion Hall, far out of sight
Out of Sight was a title used by many poets, all writing on the theme of a woman missing her husband who has been away for many years. This may be because he loves another, or is away at war, or has gone to work for the emperor. Only one poem with this title was judged good enough to be included in the 300 Tang Poems, but the Complete Tang Poems includes nine with this title, and they form a fascinating series, dating back to the 6th century, before the beginning of the Tang.
Often, the title of a poem gave name of the tune to which it should be sung. However, that doesn't seem to be the case for Out of Sight: some of the poems are very short, while others are medium length; some use short lines, others long. Instead, the poems are linked by two themes: the loneliness of a woman whose husband is away, and rich lifestyles. Both themes are brought out most clearly by Shen Quanqi in the single Out of Sight poem collected in the 300 Tang Poems.
Liu Yun (465-517) wrote the first Out of Sight poem recorded in the Complete Tang Poems, setting the pattern for all that followed. It begins with a dreamlike romantic reverie, then turns suddenly in the last two lines to the lament of an abandoned woman.
The poem recalls the famous story of Zhao Feiyan, remembered as one of the most beautiful women in all of Chinese history (a dubious honour: this particular historical epithet is usually applied to women whose beauty causes chaos at court and harms the nation). When crown prince Cheng of the Han Dynasty wanted to meet new people, he disguised himself as a young relative of his friend Zhang Fang. On one such expedition, he met Zhao Feiyan, married her, and ultimately made her empress. But he later transferred his affections to her sister, and Feiyan was left forgotten in the women's quarters, Devotion Hall.
柳恽 独不见
别岛望风台，天渊临水殿。
芳草生未积，春花落如霰。
出从张公子，还过赵飞燕。
奉帚长信宫，谁知独不见。