Welcoming the New Spring (When the Lantern Festival Begins) - Liu Yong
/迎新春(上元启节) - 柳永/
Lantern Lights and Early Blossoms in a Lunar Glow
【A Representative Reconstruction in the Style of Liu Yong】
迎新春(上元启节)
香尘不动，天街渐暖，
更瑞雪消融微湿。
画烛摇红，千门隐隐，
喜色初融夜色。
远见华灯错落，
如星海、喧声盈溢。
酒盏轻斟，
正是故人未至，却谁同拾？
那回忆、元宵灯影里，
并肩缓行，笑语盈袖。
锦字曾传，但今消息断，
凭谁慰藕花幽叹？
但见月痕依旧，
又何处，笙歌似雪？
旧事成追，
尽是年年华节。
迎新春(上元启节)
香尘不动，天街渐暖，
更瑞雪消融微湿。
画烛摇红，千门隐隐，
喜色初融夜色。
远见华灯错落，
如星海、喧声盈溢。
酒盏轻斟，
正是故人未至，却谁同拾？
那回忆、元宵灯影里，
并肩缓行，笑语盈袖。
锦字曾传，但今消息断，
凭谁慰藕花幽叹？
但见月痕依旧，
又何处，笙歌似雪？
旧事成追，
尽是年年华节。
Although no historically documented poem titled “迎新春(上元启节)” by Liu Yong survives in standard anthologies, the lines above reflect how he might have approached the theme of the Lantern Festival (上元节) and early spring. During the Northern Song Dynasty, city streets came alive with bright lanterns, music, and revelry as the new year progressed. Poets often used such celebrations to underscore the contrast between outward festivity and inward longing.
In this creative reconstruction:
1. **Urban Festivity vs. Personal Solitude**
- The first stanza evokes a bustling city night, with lanterns likened to stars and lively crowds filling the streets. Yet, despite this outward joy, the poet feels a pang of loneliness—someone he once walked beside is no longer present.
2. **Visual and Sensory Imagery**
- References to “画烛摇红” (painted candles flickering red) and “华灯错落” (glittering lanterns strewn about) create a kaleidoscopic sense of color and movement. Meanwhile, “天街渐暖” (the slowly warming heavenly avenue) reminds us that spring is imminent, though the chill lingers in the poet’s heart.
3. **Understated Melancholy**
- Consistent with Liu Yong’s style, the poet interweaves joyful surroundings with an undertone of regret, meditating on absent friends and severed communication. The mention of “锦字曾传” (exchanging letters in fine silk) references a once-intimate bond now broken by time or distance.
4. **Seasonal Themes**
- The poem nods to both winter’s receding snows and early spring’s promise, symbolizing renewal. Yet this renewal remains incomplete for the poet, whose emotional life is still mired in remembrance.
Ultimately, this piece illustrates how a festival—usually brimming with cheer—can become a mirror revealing the poet’s unresolved yearnings. The lively lantern scene amplifies what is missing: the companionship and warmth of a dear friend. Such thematic tension is central to many Song ci poems, where gentle outward beauty intensifies an inner ache for reunion.
Key points
• Juxtaposes the bright Lantern Festival atmosphere with personal nostalgia.
• Highlights how festive settings can accentuate feelings of absence.
• Uses hallmark Song ci techniques—rich imagery, music, and delicate emotional undercurrents.
• Embodies Liu Yong’s ability to weave longing into celebratory occasions, leaving an unresolved sense of yearning.