about the author

Li Yu (李煜, 937–978 CE) was the third and the last ruler of the Southern Tang regime during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period (907–960 CE). Li was not interested in politics, but rather indulged himself with the arts and sensual pleasures. He surrendered the capital to the ruler of the Song regime and lived under what we today may call home custody, though he did not live in his former home, the palace. This drastic change in his life circumstances resulted in a huge shift in the tone and content of his poems. Li switched from flowery descriptions of sensual pleasures to a more colloquial vocabulary and wrote laments about larger and heavier topics such as regime changes and the vicissitudes of life. His laments pioneered ci, a form of Chinese poetry. The stark contrast between his political incapability and his artistic genius makes Li a famous exemplar of the power of fate; people ponder the irony of the tragic destiny that turned him into one of the greatest Chinese poets of all time.

This poem was written during the period of Li’s home custody, and it was speculated that the grief and lament in this poem contributed to the new ruler’s decision to poison Li.