Yuan Dynasty
沉醉东风 · 赠妓朱帘秀
胡祗遹
锦织江边翠竹，
绒穿海上明珠。
月淡时，
风清处，
都隔断落红尘土。
一片闲情任卷舒，
挂尽朝云暮雨。
Translation
Brocade seems woven from green bamboo by the river; soft cord seems strung with bright pearls from the sea. When the moon is pale, where the wind is clear, it shuts away fallen blossoms and worldly dust. A single mood of leisure lets it roll and unroll at will, having hung through all the morning clouds and evening rains.
Analysis
This song was written for Zhu Lianxiu, a famous Yuan performer. Its method is subtle: instead of directly describing her face, voice, or stage talent, Hu Zhiyu writes through the image of a pearl curtain, drawing on the characters in her name. The opening couplet describes the curtain as if it were made from riverbank bamboo and sea pearls. On the literal level, this suggests exquisite craftsmanship. On the symbolic level, it praises Zhu Lianxiu as both elegant like green bamboo and precious like pearls. "When the moon is pale, where the wind is clear" places the image in a refined and quiet setting. The atmosphere is not vulgar or noisy, but cool, clean, and graceful. "It shuts away fallen blossoms and worldly dust" is the key line. A curtain separates inside from outside; here it also separates purity from vulgarity. Although Zhu Lianxiu belonged to the world of entertainment and romance, the poem presents her as someone able to remain apart from its dust. "A single mood of leisure lets it roll and unroll at will" continues the curtain metaphor. The movement of rolling and unrolling suggests freedom, composure, and self-possession. The final phrase, "morning clouds and evening rains," alludes to the Wushan goddess and the world of romantic encounters. The curtain has seen all such affairs, yet the tone is not crude. It suggests someone who has known the world and still retains elegance. The strength of the song lies in restraint. It is a poem for a courtesan-performer, but it avoids vulgarity. Through one carefully extended image, it presents Zhu Lianxiu as graceful, intelligent, worldly, and yet untouched by dust.
About the Author
Hu Zhiyu, courtesy name Shaokai, also recorded as Shaowen, and literary name Zishan, was a Yuan dynasty writer and official from Wu'an in Cizhou. He served under Kublai Khan in several posts, including Hanlin literary appointments, Taichang scholar-official, judicial commissioner, and regional administrative positions. He was known as a capable and upright official. His collected writings, Zishan Daquanji, preserve important materials for the study of Yuan literature and drama. His sanqu are clear, refined, and elegant, combining literati sensibility with the natural speech rhythm of Yuan song.