Out of Sight: Springtime Intensifies Loneliness
A dreamlike series of romantic images dashed by the rising sun
Out of Sight
Yang Juyuan
.
A warm east wind and limpid sun,
Green willows with blossom like snow in flight,
Girls picking out a love-me fan,
And scrambling to pull their love-braids tight,
The secret affair of Lady Jia,
And He Yan's face, so handsome and white…
I dread the moment I open the blinds.
My dreams are dashed; you're still 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.
Yang Juyuan was born in 755, but his date of death is unknown.
This late Tang poem follows the old form, with a heady, romantic, springtime montage in the first six lines, followed by a jarring contrast when the last two lines turn to the sadness of a wife left alone.
Lady Jia lived in the 3rd century, during the Three Kingdoms period. She had an affair with a particularly handsome employee of her father's.
He Yan was a courtier from the same period, with a face so pale and handsome that the emperor suspected him of wearing powder.
杨巨源 独不见
东风艳阳色，柳绿花如霰。
竞理同心鬟，争持合欢扇。
香传贾娘手，粉离何郎面。
最恨卷帘时，含情独不见。