Introduction to the Text
Liu Yong (c.987 - c.1053 CE) was possibly the most widely-read ci writer during the Northern Song era: his fans ranged from courtesans, to officials, to critics. He excelled especially in love songs, portraying lovelorn individuals with unprecedented detail and depth. It was in Liu Yong’s ci poetry that the Chinese reader first encountered descriptions of romantic suffering from a male perspective: the topic had previously been rejected by the literati as frivilous. Before Liu, most lyrics were written for short songs, but he started a trend for writing ci for longer tunes. Liu used the longer form to explore complex human psychology. Although his predominant interest in the depiction of romantic affairs, as well as his sometimes inelegant diction, incurred considerable criticism from his contemporaries and even from literati of later generations, it neither dampened his popularity nor diminished his contribution to the development of ci poetry. However, his talent and fame as a poet did not help him advance professionally: his reputation for writing frivolous lyrics led him to be deemed unfit for imperial duty and he never achieved success in his career as an official.
About this Edition
This translation is under review.
Suggested Citation
Liu Yong. 'The bedroom remembers the day we first met'. Trans. Qian Jia. Global Medieval Sourcebook.