Yuan Dynasty
潘妃曲（二）
商挺
闷酒将来刚刚咽，
欲饮先浇奠。
频祝愿：
普天下心厮爱早团圆！
谢神天，
教俺也频频的勤相见。
Translation
She brings the wine of sorrow and has only just swallowed a sip; before drinking, she first pours some out as an offering. Again and again she prays: May all true lovers under heaven soon be reunited. Thanks to Heaven and the gods; may they also let me meet him often, again and again.
Analysis
This "Panfei Tune" presents a woman drinking to ease her longing and praying for reunion with her lover. Its language is plain, almost colloquial, but that directness is exactly where its emotional force lies. The "wine of sorrow" is not banquet wine. It is wine taken because the heart is troubled by longing, separation, and waiting. The woman drinks not to celebrate, but to endure. Before drinking, she pours out an offering. This small ritual matters. She turns her private longing into a prayer addressed to Heaven and the gods. Wine becomes both a means of consolation and an instrument of devotion. "Again and again she prays" shows that this is not a casual wish. The repetition suggests urgency and helplessness. She cannot control whether her lover comes, so she can only pray. The most moving line is her wish that all true lovers under heaven may be reunited. She does not pray only for herself. Her private pain expands into sympathy for all separated lovers. This gives the song a generous, tender quality. The ending returns to her own desire: may she also be allowed to meet him often. The colloquial tone makes the voice feel immediate and real, like an actual woman speaking rather than a refined literary persona. The song's beauty lies in its simplicity. There is no elaborate metaphor and no dramatic plot. A cup of sorrowful wine, a small offering, and a repeated wish are enough to reveal the whole emotional situation.
About the Author
Shang Ting, courtesy name Mengqing, also recorded as Mengqing with a different character, and literary name Zuoshan Laoren, was a Yuan dynasty sanqu writer and statesman from Jiyin in Caozhou. He was the nephew of Shang Dao and associated with writers such as Yuan Haowen and Yang Huan during the Jin-Yuan transition. He later served the Yuan court in high office, including positions such as Grand Councilor and Deputy Commissioner of the Bureau of Military Affairs. Few of his sanqu survive, but his "Panfei Tune" sequence is known for lively depictions of romantic meetings, longing, waiting, boudoir scenes, and seasonal moods.