Back to a simpler time - by Phil H - Tang Poetry

Rollicking is the way I’d describe this poem. It begins with the river rolling, and by giving us a name and an itemised list of what she did at each age, it sets itself well apart from the abstract and allusive tone of Tang poetry. This poem comes from an earlier time, and is much more earthy and folksy - a point brought resoundingly home at the end when our heroine reflects that all the servants and fancy stuff in the world aren’t as nice as the boy next door. I can imagine it ringing out in a beer hall, with everyone joining in enthusiastically for the last line, imagining themselves to be the legendary Wang boy. Liang ruled southern China during part of the period of disunity between the Han and Tang dynasties. Xiao Yan (464–549) founded the dynasty in 502, and took the name Emperor Wu. This poem, with its very folksong feel, introduced Lady Lu, a character who was later used in Tang poetry as a byword for a rich lady-of-the-manor. Translation note: Honeysuckle is a stand-in for osm

Rollicking is the way I’d describe this poem. It begins with the river rolling, and by giving us a name and an itemised list of what she did at each age, it sets itself well apart from the abstract and allusive tone of Tang poetry. This poem comes from an earlier time, and is much more earthy and folksy - a point brought resoundingly home at the end when our heroine reflects that all the servants and fancy stuff in the world aren’t as nice as the boy next door. I can imagine it ringing out in a beer hall, with everyone joining in enthusiastically for the last line, imagining themselves to be t