庆清朝慢(禁幄低张) - 李清照
Celebrating a Clear Morning (When Draperies Hang Low) - Li Qingzhao
Where Dawn’s Gentle Breeze and Unspoken Yearnings Meet
【A Representative Reconstruction in Li Qingzhao’s Style】
庆清朝慢(禁幄低张)
禁幄低张，露华初透，
晓日犹怯朱阑。
杏梁新燕，暗度丝雨微寒。
水晶帘内愁怀浅，
怕轻风、拂破残欢。
最苦是、天涯人在，
一寸相思，凝尽青山。
忍听宫壶漏永，
旧约如烟，终疑梦里关山。
滴尽兰灯，谁与添炷，
泪眼曾看，楚影衾寒。
但凭阑干尽处，
冉冉归鸿噎断，
留滞何堪！
何日清歌一曲，
再对芳樽，重理云鬟？
庆清朝慢(禁幄低张)
禁幄低张，露华初透，
晓日犹怯朱阑。
杏梁新燕，暗度丝雨微寒。
水晶帘内愁怀浅，
怕轻风、拂破残欢。
最苦是、天涯人在，
一寸相思，凝尽青山。
忍听宫壶漏永，
旧约如烟，终疑梦里关山。
滴尽兰灯，谁与添炷，
泪眼曾看，楚影衾寒。
但凭阑干尽处，
冉冉归鸿噎断，
留滞何堪！
何日清歌一曲，
再对芳樽，重理云鬟？
Though no historically documented poem titled “庆清朝慢(禁幄低张)” by Li Qingzhao exists in classical anthologies, this text is offered as a **creative homage** to her style. In its lines, we find many of Li Qingzhao’s signature motifs: a delicate morning scene, a faint chill carried by wind or drizzle, and an emotional undercurrent of separation.
1. **Allusions to Palatial Imagery**
- Phrases like “禁幄低张” (draperies hanging low, reminiscent of palace enclosures) conjure a private, elevated realm—both literally and figuratively. Whether these silk curtains belong to a courtly setting or a memory-laden chamber, they signify an interior world that is carefully veiled.
2. **Seasonal and Sensory Details**
- References to “丝雨微寒” (a fine, chilly drizzle) and “露华初透” (dew shimmering in dawn light) reflect Li Qingzhao’s hallmark approach of merging weather and time of day with her emotional state. These subdued natural cues deepen the sense of gentle longing.
3. **Symbolic Motifs of Longing**
- The mention of “旧约如烟” (old promises drifting like smoke) and “归鸿” (returning wild geese) highlight the poet’s classic sense of separation from beloved friends or a dear companion. The geese, as in many Chinese poems, serve as messengers of parting, as well as a reminder of travel over far horizons.
4. **Understated Despair and Hope**
- While the speaker laments the heaviness of solitude (“泪眼曾看，楚影衾寒”), there is also an undercurrent of longing for reunion: “何日清歌一曲，再对芳樽” (When will we once again sing a clear melody before a fragrant cup?). This tension between sorrow and the faint hope of renewed joy is emblematic of Li Qingzhao’s tone.
Throughout, the poem adopts the ci tune pattern “Qing Qing Chao Man” (庆清朝慢), known for its more elaborate, extended structure. In this reconstructed piece, each line balances finely wrought imagery with a resonant sense of loss, conjuring the fragile morning hush so frequently invoked in Li Qingzhao’s body of work.
Key points
• **Evokes a private dawn scene** where half-lit spaces and the hush of morning intensify feelings of nostalgia.
• **Highlights Li Qingzhao’s hallmark**: weaving weather, seasonal references, and emotional subtleties into a unified mood.
• **Uses symbolic elements**—draperies, faint drizzle, wild geese—to mirror the poet’s internal state of separation.
• **Blends gentle sorrow with a whispered hope** for future reunion, reflecting the lingering, open-ended ache typical of Song ci poetry.
Comments
Lively GeckoA short comment: illusions soared in that refined setting, overshadowed now by heartbreak’s hush, forging a vow that sorrow can be carried with dignity, masked by the gentle aroma of a once-splendid hall.
ShadowNighSometimes it resonates with how wedding receptions end abruptly, guests gone, illusions of that perfect day overshadowed by a hush-laden reflection. The poem’s mild heartbreak captures that gentle anticlimax, bridging illusions and parted joys in a subdued vow.
CyberFalcoA longer observation: ‘庆清朝慢(禁幄低张)’ frames heartbreak through a lens of refined stillness, illusions overshadowed by dusk’s hush in a once-lively space. The poet handles parted hopes with gentle composure, refusing to yield to tearful laments or rage. Instead, illusions fade softly, overshadowing sorrow in a swirl of mild acceptance. This approach resonates with how ephemeral even grand scenes can be, once the lights dim and crowds disperse. The hush fosters empathy for a poet quietly carrying heartbreak, forging a vow that parted illusions need not vanish bitterly but can remain a calm presence, veiled behind leftover grandeur. In that subtle hush, heartbreak is dignified rather than debilitating, leaving a final impression of mild sorrow wreathed in half-lit corridors, overshadowed by the poet’s unwavering grace.
Swift Black EagleA soft hush lingers in every line, as though mild sorrow has quietly settled behind each regal curtain.
Swift Aqua Dog CaveThe hush-laden approach underscores heartbreak’s subtle infiltration of daily life. No fierce tears, only illusions drifting away in half-lit corridors, overshadowed by the poet’s calm acceptance that parted joys never fully return.
Zany Mint Fox DenSometimes I recall how modern office spaces fall silent at night after a major product launch—teams disband quietly, illusions of total success overshadowed by the hush of leftover coffee cups. The poem’s subdued heartbreak parallels that sense of emptiness revealed once fervor dissipates.
Swift White TigerIt’s intriguing how the poem transforms a possibly ornate environment into a stage for quiet sorrow: illusions parted overshadow heartbreak in each soft footstep, forging calm acceptance instead of anguish.
Nerdy Blue Owl NestShort but potent: each line weaves heartbreak into refined hush, overshadowing illusions with an unspoken promise that though parted, their memory remains delicately suspended in the quiet hall.
CometRangeSometimes it parallels how big conferences or events reveal their behind-the-scenes hush once the crowd disperses. The poem’s mild heartbreak resonates with staff who remain, illusions of a triumphant event overshadowed by a calm hush as lights dim, forging a vow that parted illusions need not roar to be felt.
Brave PrismA middle reflection: heartbreak stands in a polite hush, overshadowed by illusions that once commanded attention but now slip away like mild echoes in a corridor no longer brimming with guests.
Bold Red SharkA middle reflection: each verse suggests illusions that once soared in high spaces, overshadowed now by mild acceptance as the poet concedes that heartbreak can abide quietly behind those drawn curtains and gentle breezes.
Swift ViperShort but vivid: reading it evokes a twilight corridor, illusions overshadowed by the hush of parted hopes rather than bright acclaim.
IonStormXXAt times, it recalls Li Qingzhao’s more direct heartbreak pieces, like ‘声声慢(寻寻觅觅),’ which also revolve around parted illusions. Yet in ‘庆清朝慢(禁幄低张),’ the hush is cast through an almost courtly lens, merging heartbreak with a subdued grandeur rather than raw lament.
