Drunken Song cover

Drunken Song

Rating 3.8
Word count
4.8K words
Chapters
50

Tags

Summary

Along the long river, green trees here and there; a lone post station and a high tower face the emerald screen.

Editor's review

Only two lines of Lu You's "Drunken Song" survive in the given materials: "Along the long river, green trees here and there; a lone post station and a high tower face the emerald screen." The scene is crisp and open: long river, green trees, lone station, high tower, emerald screen unfold layer upon layer, presenting at once the solitude of travel and the clarity of the landscape. These two lines succeed through visual space; the post station and high tower form a vantage point, and the reader seems to climb and gaze afar with the poet, sensing a pause in the journey between green freshness and lonely height. The 2024 Bashu shushe edition is suitable as material for reading a single Song poem. Given the limited materials, reading should center on the two extant lines, attending to the arrangement of images and the contrast of colors, without over-inferring the plot of the whole poem. It suits readers who admire Lu You's descriptive technique and want practice in appreciating short passages; those expecting a complete narrative or detailed annotations will need a complete collection or annotated edition.

Who it's for

A good fit for

  • Song poetry lovers who admire Lu You's landscape poems and wish to savor short passages
  • Readers of classical literature seeking crisp landscape imagery for appreciation practice
  • General readers interested in poems on post stations and travel
  • Teachers using short materials for image analysis in Chinese language classes

Not a good fit for

  • Readers hoping for the complete poem with detailed annotations
  • Readers expecting Lu You's long patriotic works
  • Beginners needing a complete plot and full background

Reading tips

  1. Read only the two lines first, circle the five images—long river, green trees, lone station, high tower, emerald screen—and sense the spatial layers.
  2. Note the color echo between "green" and "emerald screen," and the emotional contrast brought by "lone" and "high."
  3. If a complete Lu You collection or annotated edition is at hand, compare it to fill in the whole poem, then return to these two lines to see their function.
  4. Try describing the poem's viewpoint in your own words: where the poet stands, where he looks, and what he sees.

About the publisher

Bashu Publishing House China · Founded in 1983

Bashu Publishing House is a publisher centered on collating and publishing classical Chinese cultural texts, with its main publishing areas covering classical literature, Eastern philosophy, ancient poetry, and educational classics. Its library currently holds 1,075 titles, including representative works such as Dream of the Red Chamber, the Preface to the Orchid Pavilion Gathering, Renjian Cihua, and Out to the Frontier, involving authors such as Cao Xueqin, Wang Xizhi, Wang Guowei, Wang Changling, Liu Xie, and Yan Yu. These reflect the publisher's focus on literary classics, poetry criticism, and philosophical readings. Its publishing character lies in working around ancient texts and canonical works, with attention to textual collation and presentation. Public information on its more detailed publishing background and series plans is limited; this introduction is based only on the library's book information.

Contents

  1. 版权信息
  2. 卷五百七十四
  3. 马嵬 贾岛
  4. 冬夜送人 贾岛
  5. 句 贾岛
  6. 卷五百七十五
  7. 鸡鸣埭曲 温庭筠
  8. 织锦词 温庭筠
  9. 夜宴谣 温庭筠
  10. 莲浦谣 温庭筠
  11. 郭处士击瓯歌 温庭筠
  12. 遐水谣 温庭筠
  13. 晓仙谣 温庭筠
  14. 锦城曲 温庭筠
  15. 生禖屏风歌 温庭筠
  16. 嘲春风 温庭筠
  17. 舞衣曲 温庭筠
  18. 张静婉采莲歌 温庭筠
  19. 湘宫人歌 温庭筠
  20. 黄昙子歌 温庭筠
  21. 觱篥歌(李相妓人吹) 温庭筠
  22. 照影曲 温庭筠
  23. 拂舞词(一作公无渡河) 温庭筠
  24. 雉场歌 温庭筠
  25. 雍台歌 温庭筠
  26. 吴苑行 温庭筠
  27. 常林欢歌 温庭筠
  28. 塞寒行 温庭筠
  29. 湖阴词 温庭筠
  30. 蒋侯神歌 温庭筠
  31. 汉皇迎春词 温庭筠
  32. 卷五百七十六
  33. 兰塘词 温庭筠
  34. 晚归曲 温庭筠
  35. 故城曲 温庭筠
  36. 昆明池水战词 温庭筠
  37. 谢公墅歌 温庭筠
  38. 罩鱼歌(杂言) 温庭筠
  39. 春洲曲 温庭筠
  40. 台城晓朝曲 温庭筠
  41. 走马楼三更曲 温庭筠
  42. 达摩支曲(杂言) 温庭筠
  43. 阳春曲 温庭筠
  44. 湘东宴曲 温庭筠
  45. 东郊行 温庭筠
  46. 水仙谣 温庭筠
  47. 东峰歌 温庭筠
  48. 会昌丙寅丰岁歌(杂言) 温庭筠
  49. 碌碌古词 温庭筠
  50. 春野行(杂言) 温庭筠

FAQ

What can be read from only two lines?
The two lines already form a complete visual fragment: a few green trees by the long river, a lone post station and high tower facing the emerald screen. One can analyze the choice of images, color arrangement, and spatial composition, and sense the solitude of travel and the clear landscape. But one should not infer the plot or main theme of the whole poem from them.
What does "wei" in "lone station and high tower" mean?
Here "wei" means high; a "wei lou" is a high tower. Joined with "lone station," it describes both the isolated post station and the towering building, creating a sense of lonely height in space; it need not be read as "dangerous."
Does reading these two lines require Lu You's biography?
Not necessarily. The available materials provide only two descriptive lines; begin with a close reading of the images and scene. For deeper study, one may consult the overall style of Lu You's travel poems, but these two lines should not be directly equated with his patriotic works.

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About the author

Lu You Author · China · 1125–1210

Lu You (1125–1210), courtesy name Wuguan and pseudonym Fangweng, was a native of Shanyin in Yuezhou (present-day Shaoxing, Zhejiang). A Southern Song writer, historian and patriotic poet, he advocated resistance against the Jin throughout his life and suffered repeated dismissal from office, yet never abandoned his devotion to the country—a sentiment that runs through all his writings. He left more than nine thousand poems, the largest surviving corpus among ancient Chinese poets. His work ranges widely over concern for the nation, landscapes and travel, and reflections on daily life, written in a grave, vigorous style that is at times clear and flowing, with concise and natural language. Besides the Ji'nan Shigao, he wrote the Weinan Wenji, Laoxue'an Biji and Nan Tang Shu, and is also known for Ru Shu Ji, an account of his travels, and the Fangweng Ci. His poetry, ci and prose have exerted a lasting influence, and he stands as a major figure of the Southern Song literary world.

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