Original poem: "Ode to a Woman" Tang Zhangji

You know I have a husband and you want to give me a pair of pearls.

I thank you for your love and pin the pearl on my red shirt.

My home is connected with the imperial garden, and my husband is on duty in the palace with a halberd.

Although I know you are sincere to Lang Lang, I have vowed to share my life and death with my husband.

Return your double beads, my eyes are full of tears, and I regret not meeting you before I got married.

According to another version of this poem, there is "Send a message to Li Dongping" under the heading. Li Shidao was the envoy of Pinglu Ziqing during the separatist period of the buffer region at that time, and he had many senior official titles. At that time, the separatist regime in the buffer region used various means to win over and collude with famous literati and central officials to expand its power. This poem was actually written by the author in order to refuse Li Shidao's wooing, but it was euphemistic and polite.

Let's briefly talk about the connotation of metaphor (note that comparing husband and wife to monarch and minister is a traditional usage in ancient poetry): You know that I am an official of the emperor, and I am in the imperial court, but you still seduce me at the expense of status and reputation. Thank you for your kindness to me. I keep your kindness in mind. I live in the capital, near the emperor, who has the highest power in the palace. I know you are sincere to me, but I still have to be loyal to the emperor and the central government when I work for the imperial court. I am very sad to refuse your request and promise now. I only hate that I didn't meet you before I was appointed as an official by the emperor.

The "double beads" in the poem are the price that Li Shidao used to win over and lure the author to help him, that is, the fame, status, wealth and splendor that ordinary people can't wait. After careful consideration, the author euphemistically refused the other party's request, and achieved the goal of "being rich and not being slutty", and held her solemn position like a virtuous woman who kept her virginity. But at that time, Li Shidao was a hot official in the buffer region. The author didn't want to offend him or embarrass him, so he wrote this ingenious double-sided poem to reject him.

This poem is rational and sincere, with meticulous psychological description, euphemistic twists and turns and touching. In addition to showing gentleman's bearing, its exquisite art is also an important reason for making it a masterpiece.

Literally, this is a sad and beautiful poem, which often quotes the famous sentence "I want to return your tears to your pearls, and I hate not meeting you before I get married" to express my deep affection for others, because time and things can't match, so I can only reluctantly refuse.

At that time, Zhang Ji, the intention of this poem, refused to hire. When Li Shidao saw it, he had to give up and no longer reluctantly.