Spring Rain
Tags
Summary
Editor's review
Who it's for
A good fit for
- Readers who love late Tang poetry and want a close reading of a single Li Shangyin poem
- Readers interested in classical poems on longing and parting
- Secondary-school Chinese teachers in need of a model for poetry appreciation
- Poets wishing to study the organization of imagery and the progression of emotion
Not a good fit for
- Beginners expecting plain-language paraphrase and extensive annotation
- Readers who prefer straightforward narrative and dislike hazy, implicit styles
Reading tips
- Read through once without notes, note the lines that move you most, then go back to the annotations.
- Trace the threads of rain scenery, human events, and emotion, and map the order in which feeling advances.
- Read alongside Li Shangyin's other lyrical poems to sense the commonalities of imagery and diction.
About the publisher
Jinzhang Book Company (Jinzhang Shuju) was a private publishing and distribution house in Shanghai during the late Qing and early Republican periods, issuing traditional works by lithographic printing. Judging from the 1,194 titles in the collection, its publishing focused on classical poetry, Eastern philosophy, historical reading, traditional Chinese medical texts, and canonical works, along with books on literary appreciation. Representative titles include the poetry and prose collections of Du Fu and Ouyang Xiu; historical works such as the Book of Han and Zizhi Tongjian; classical texts such as the Book of Documents and Mencius; and specialized and literary classics such as Treatise on Cold Damage and Li Sao. Its author resources cover major figures across the ages, including Du Fu, Ban Gu, Sima Guang, Zhang Zhongjing, Qu Yuan, Ouyang Xiu, and Tang Shenwei, reflecting the house's characteristic reliance on traditional scholarship and medical literature while serving general readers. Public information on its early history and operational details is limited, so no conjecture is offered here.
Contents
- 版权信息
- 【重经冯家旧里】唐彦谦
- 卷672_27【克复后登安国寺阁】唐彦谦
- 卷672_28【题虔僧室】唐彦谦
- 卷672_29【见炀帝宝帐】唐彦谦
- 卷672_30【楼上偶题】唐彦谦
- 卷672_31【亲仁里闻猿】唐彦谦
- 卷672_32【闻李渎司勋下世】唐彦谦
- 卷672_33【试夜题省廊桂】唐彦谦
- 卷672_34【竹风】唐彦谦
- 卷672_35【长溪秋望】唐彦谦
- 卷672_36【严子陵】唐彦谦
- 卷672_37【北齐】唐彦谦
- 卷672_38【楚世家】唐彦谦
- 卷672_39【骊山道中】唐彦谦
- 卷672_40【韦曲】唐彦谦
- 卷672_41【黄子陂荷花】唐彦谦
- 卷672_42【野行】唐彦谦
- 卷672_43【兴元沈氏庄】唐彦谦
- 卷672_44【乱后经表兄琼华观旧居】唐彦谦
- 卷672_45【秋霁夜吟寄友人】唐彦谦
- 卷672_46【贺李昌时禁苑新命】唐彦谦
- 卷672_47【寄蒋二十四】唐彦谦
- 卷672_48【寄怀】唐彦谦
- 卷672_49【送樊琯司业归朝】唐彦谦
- 卷672_50【奉使岐下闻唐弘夫行军为贼所擒,伤而有作】唐彦谦
- 卷672_51【咸通中始闻褚河南归葬阳翟是岁上平徐方…成二十韵】唐彦谦
- 卷672_52【岐王宅】唐彦谦
- 卷672_53【东韦曲野思】唐彦谦
- 卷672_54【上巳(一作上巳日寄韩公)】唐彦谦
- 卷672_55【移莎】唐彦谦
- 卷672_56【西明寺威公盆池新稻】唐彦谦
- 卷672_57【红叶】唐彦谦
- 卷672_58【鸂鶒】唐彦谦
- 卷672_59【萤】唐彦谦
- 卷672_60【夜蝉】唐彦谦
- 卷672_61【七夕】唐彦谦
- 卷672_62【中秋夜玩月】唐彦谦
- 卷672_63【八月十六日夜月】唐彦谦
- 卷672_64【送韦向之睦州谒使君】唐彦谦
- 卷672_65【春残】唐彦谦
- 卷672_66【玫瑰】唐彦谦
- 卷672_67【牡丹】唐彦谦
- 卷672_68【秋晚高楼】唐彦谦
- 卷672_69【离鸾】唐彦谦
- 卷672_70【柳】唐彦谦
- 卷672_71【春阴】唐彦谦
- 卷672_72【春深独行马上有作】唐彦谦
FAQ
Why is Spring Rain rather hard to understand?
What is Li Shangyin's place in literary history?
Do I need to know the allusions before reading this poem?
Comments
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About the author
Li Shangyin (c. 813–858), courtesy name Yishan and style name Yuxisheng, was a renowned poet of the late Tang dynasty whose ancestral home was in Huaizhou Henei (present-day Qinyang, Henan). He is often grouped with Du Mu as the “Little Li-Du.” His poems are notable for their novel conceits and rich, ornate style, and his untitled and love poems in particular are deeply tender and lingering. Representative works include “The Jeweled Zither” and the “Untitled” poems, and the Ming dynasty compiled his Li Yishan Poetry Collection. This library holds 24 of his works, including poetry anthologies and selections, as well as pieces such as “The Han Stele,” “Spring Rain,” “The Shrine of the Holy Maid,” “The Peonies of Huizhong Ruined by Rain II,” and “At a Drinking Feast, on Behalf of an Official Courtesan, Presented to Two Attendants,” along with a related collection in the series Classic Works of Ancient Chinese Literature: The Intoxicating Rhythms of Tang Poetry. Public information on the specific events of his life is limited, so this introduction focuses on the themes, style, and literary influence of his works.