Refers to Li Longji, Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty.

From "Song of Everlasting Sorrow" written by Tang Dynasty poet Bai Juyi, excerpt from the original text:

The Emperor of the Han Dynasty was obsessed with beauty and wanted to overwhelm the country, and he could not find it for many years.

There is a daughter in the Yang family who has just grown up. She is raised in a boudoir and no one knows her.

It’s hard to give up on natural beauty. Once you choose it, you will be on the side of the king.

Looking back and smiling, the sixth palace has no color.

Translation:

Tang Minghuang preferred beauty. After becoming the emperor, he had been looking for beauties for many years, but found nothing.

The Yang family has a daughter who has just grown up. She is very beautiful and she is raised in a boudoir. Outsiders do not know her beauty.

Being naturally beautiful and charming, it was difficult for her to be buried in the world. As expected, it didn’t take long for her to become a concubine beside Emperor Ming of Tang Dynasty.

When she looked back and smiled, she was full of charm and charm; all the other six officials and concubines were eclipsed.

Notes:

1. Emperor of Han: Originally refers to Liu Che, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. This refers to Li Longji, Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty. The literary creations of Tang people often refer to Tang as Han.

2. Yuyu: To control Yuyu is to rule the world.

3. The Yang family has daughters: Shuzhou Sihu Yang Xuanyan and his daughter Yang Yuhuan. She was raised by her uncle Yang Xuangui since she was a child. At the age of seventeen (the 23rd year of Kaiyuan), she was canonized as the son of Xuanzong, the longevity king Li The concubine of Mao. At the age of twenty-seven, she was canonized as a noble concubine by Xuanzong. Bai Juyi's statement that "I was raised in a boudoir and not known to anyone" is a statement that the author deliberately made to avoid taboos for the emperor.

4. Beauty: beautiful appearance.

5. Sixth Palace Fendai: refers to all the concubines in the palace. In ancient times, emperors had six palaces, one was the main bedroom (the place where government affairs were handled daily), and the other five were the Yan bedroom (the place for resting). They were collectively called the Sixth Palace.

6. Fendai: Fendai is originally a cosmetic product for women. It is used to apply powder on the face and to draw eyebrows. This generation refers to women in the sixth house.

7. Colorless: It means that in comparison, they have lost their beautiful appearance.

Extended information

Creative background:

In the first year of Yuanhe (806) of Emperor Xianzong of Tang Dynasty, Bai Juyi was appointed as the county captain of Yuxi (now Zhouzhi County, Xi'an City). One day, I visited Xianyou Temple near Maweiyi with my friends Chen Hong and Wang Zhifu, and talked about Li Longji and Yang Guifei. Wang Zhifu believes that outstanding things like this will disappear over time if they are not heavily processed and polished. So Bai Juyi wrote this long poem.

Appreciation:

In this long narrative poem, the author uses concise language, beautiful images, and a combination of narrative and lyrical techniques to narrate the story of Tang Xuanzong and Yang Guifei during the Anshi Rebellion. Love tragedy: their love was ruined by the rebellion they caused, and they are endlessly eating the bitter pill of this spirit.

Tang Xuanzong and Yang Guifei are both historical figures. The poet does not stick to history, but uses a little shadow of history, based on the legends of the people at that time and the singing of the neighbors, to evolve a rondo from them. The twists and turns and touching stories are described and sung in a repetitive and pathos art form.

Because the stories and characters in the poem are artistic and are complex and true representations of people in reality, they can create ripples in the hearts of readers of all ages.

Baidu Encyclopedia-Song of Everlasting Sorrow