“Slow, Slow Song” by Li Qing Zhao is one of my all-time favourite “Song Lyrics”.
The “Song” that I mentioned in “Song Lyrics” is not the “Song” to sing, but the “Song” Dynasty (960 -1279) in China. And “lyrics” is a special kind of poetry composition that set words to available tune, not the other way around. Like this tune title is “Slow, Slow Song”, and many poems can be written under this tune title, this kind of poem called “lyrics”. “Lyrics” was at peak during the Song Dynasty, its common name is “Song Lyrics” – 宋词.
Li Qing Zhao (1084 – 1155) is the most important female poet in Chinese history. Her main composition was “Song Lyrics”. She was born in a family with a strong academic and artistic atmosphere. Later, she married to Zhao Ming Cheng, she and her husband were passionate about literature and she was able to create freely and abundantly.
In year 1129 her husband passed away, the lyrics she composed after this are very melancholic yet indescribable beautiful. “Slow, Slow Song” is one of them. The most important reason I like this poem is her sense of rhythm and melody. Alone by reading this, it sounds like a song. You can try to read this with the pronunciation guide here, have fun trying it!
Note:
The translator Xu Yuan Chong 许渊冲 also translated many Chinese classical literature into English.
For German reader:
