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Liu Yong

Northern Song lyricist of long slow-tune songs such as Bells in the Rain, sung so widely that it was said every place with a well knew his words

Also known as Liu Sanbian · Liu Qi · Liu Tuntian

Liu Yong, first named Sanbian with the courtesy name Jingzhuang, later took the name Yong and the courtesy name Qiqing, known as Liu the Seventh, came from Chong'an in Jianzhou. As a young man he spent his time in the pleasure quarters of Kaifeng writing new songs for musicians and singers, and he failed the examinations repeatedly before passing the jinshi in 1034. After local posts such as magistrate of Yuhang he ended as a vice-director of the Bureau of Military Farms, hence the name Liu Tuntian. He wrote many long slow-tune lyrics, among them *Bells in the Rain* (*Yulin ling*) on parting and *Gazing at the Tide* (*Wang haichao*) on the splendor of Hangzhou, collected as *Lyrics for Music* (*Yuezhang ji*). Neither the year nor the place of his death is securely known. Ye Mengde's *Notes from Escaping the Heat* (*Bishu luhua*) quotes an envoy back from the Western Xia who said his songs were sung wherever there was a well.

Life and times

  1. c. 987 CEBornSong
  2. c. 1053 CEDied

Works

  1. Literature · Lyrics15
    1. Bells in the Rain (Cold Cicadas Chill and Plaintive)SongLiu Yong's slow ci on parting from a lover in autumn and the lonely journey ahead
    2. Watching the Ocean Tide (Southeast Majestic Realm)SongLiu Yong's long ci portraying the wealth of Northern Song Hangzhou and the beauty of West Lake
    3. Tune: Ba Sheng Gan Zhou — Facing the Evening Rain Sprinkling over River and SkySongLiu Yong's long ci of evening rain on a river and a homesick traveller, praised by Su Shi
    4. Winding Jade Pipe · Clouds Flying over the RidgeSongLiu Yong's long ci of a man gazing from a tower at autumn rivers, recalling a lost love
    5. Butterflies Love Flowers · Leaning on a High Tower in a Light BreezeSongLiu Yong's famous ci of longing at a high tower, ready to waste away for love without regret
    6. +10 more
      1. Lotus Gathering Song · As the Moonlight FadesSongLiu Yong's long ci of a dawn parting and a boat that carries the traveller away too fast
      2. Waves Washing the Sand, Slow · A Thread of Wind Through the WindowSongLiu Yong's long ci of waking at midnight to rain, regretting the love he left behind
      3. Calming the Waves · Since Spring CameSongLiu Yong's long ci in a woman's voice, sorry she never kept her roving lover at home
      4. A Youth's Wandering · Slow Horse on the Old Chang'an RoadSongLiu Yong's short ci of an autumn ride on an old road, where past pleasures will not return
      5. Lady Qi · A Late Autumn SkySongLiu Yong's long ci of an autumn night alone at an inn, recalling youthful revels in the capital
      6. Midnight Music · Frozen Clouds on a Dim DaySongLiu Yong's long ci of a winter boat journey, missing the love he left in the capital
      7. Jade Butterfly · Where the Rain ClearsSongLiu Yong's long ci of an autumn view from a railing, missing old friends far away
      8. Lost Spirit Melody · A Small Boat Furls Its SailSongLiu Yong's long ci of an official on the road, moored on a southern river at dusk
      9. Bamboo Horse · Climbing a Lonely RampartSongLiu Yong's long ci of climbing an old rampart in early autumn and thinking of the capital
      10. Joy Day and Night · Remembering a Parting: When We First MetSongLiu Yong's long ci looking back from a fading spring on a first meeting and a regretted parting
  2. Literature · Sayings10
    1. Osmanthus of the Three Autumn Months in HangzhouSongLine from Liu Yong's Watching the Tide: osmanthus and lotus that made Hangzhou famous
    2. Frontier Passes and Rivers Turn Cold and DesolateSongFamous line from Liu Yong's Ba Sheng Gan Zhou: passes and rivers bleak in late autumn
    3. Ten Miles of Lotus Blossoms on West LakeSongFamous line from Liu Yong's Wang Hai Chao: Hangzhou's lakes ablaze with summer lotus
    4. A Thousand Tender Feelings with No One to ShareSongFamous line from Liu Yong's Yu Lin Ling: a heart full of love with no one left to tell
    5. Pearls and Gems Lining Hangzhou's MarketsSongAphorism from Liu Yong's Watching the Tide: the wealth of Hangzhou's markets
    6. +5 more
      1. Homes Brimming With Silk Gauze and BrocadeSongAphorism from Liu Yong's Watching the Tide: Hangzhou households rich in silk
      2. Speechless and Choked with Tears at PartingSongFamous line from Liu Yong's Bells in the Rain: lovers parting too grieved to speak
      3. Reds Fading and Greens Thinning in Late AutumnSongIdiom from Liu Yong's Eight Beats of Ganzhou: flowers faded, leaves thinned, a bleak autumn
      4. Holding Hands and Gazing Through TearsSongFamous line from Liu Yong's Yulinling: lovers' tearful farewell at the riverside
      5. Willow Banks in the Dawn Wind Under a Waning MoonSongFamous line from Liu Yong's lyric Yu Lin Ling, on the lonely chill after parting