During the Tang Dynasty, the country was strong and the people were wealthy. There were also many famous poets, not only male poets, but also talented women who were gentle and passionate. At that time, there were many famous female poets, and the four most recognized and passed down by the public were Xue Tao, Yu Xuanji, Li Ye, and Liu Caichun.
According to “The Return of Famous Women’s Poetry”, Xue Tao had a difficult background, was very beautiful, but also a charming and charming woman. She showed her talent at the age of 8 and was able to recite her father’s poetry with ease, thus attracting attention from outsiders since childhood.
Unfortunately, the loss of her father in her early years made her life extremely poor. At the age of 16, she was forced to join the music industry, which was actually a “prostitute” in ancient times. This laid the foundation for her tragic and bleak future.
It is said that Xue Tao’s favorite person is Yuan Zhen, but her famous poem “Ten Li Poems” was written for someone else. Who is this person?
Although Xue Tao entered the music industry, the open customs of the Tang Dynasty at that time actually showed more respect for women, especially those who were beautiful and intelligent, such as Xue Tao.
Due to Xue Tao’s great talent, many famous poets had dealings with her, such as Du Mu, Bai Juyi, Liu Yuxi, and later the young Yuan Zhen. These talented individuals naturally favored talented women.
The military governor of Sichuan is Wei Gao. Upon hearing of Xue Tao’s beautiful reputation, he invited her to attend a banquet where Xue Tao wrote a poem on the spot, which impressed Wei Gao greatly. From then on, Xue Tao became a popular figure in Wei Gao’s mansion. Because of this, Xue Tao went from being a beautiful woman in the mortal world to being respected by many talented men, treating her with the same respect as a female poet.
It is said that her handwriting cannot be seen to be written by a woman at all. It is vigorous and powerful, containing the universe. From her handwriting, it can be seen that Xue Tao is actually a woman with empty valleys, her own thoughts and pursuits. However, the environment at that time forced her to bow down to reality and become a laughing woman
Once, Wei Gao held a banquet for his staff in preparing for the the side tower, a place where ordinary male officials held a meeting to discuss political affairs. When he was intoxicated, he asked Xue Tao to write a poem to set off the atmosphere. Unexpectedly, as soon as Xue Tao picked up the pen, he left the “Preparing for the the side tower” for future generations to admire for thousands of years:
Amidst the clouds, birds, and eight windows of autumn, it dominates the forty states of Xichuan.
Generals, do not be greedy for Qiang horses. See the border at the highest level.
Experts who understand poetry have commented that the lines are grand and heroic, and many male poets dare not step forward to join the fun. However, Xue Tao wrote it effortlessly, indicating that this woman is indeed talented and courageous.
Xue Tao also pays special attention to the quality of life. Since he has never been married, he has a lot of personal time. Xue Tao works hard on his own things. For example, he uses roses to color nail polish, and he uses fallen flowers beside Huanhua River to make Xue Tao’s raft, which is now red. After this exquisite and high-quality pulp was spread, it caused a stir, and the Tang Dynasty Xue Tao raft can be said to have reached its peak of use.
It is precisely because of this talent that even when officials in Sichuan were replaced like flowing water, each person in charge showed great care and concern for Xue Tao until they met Yuan Zhen.
Yuan Zhen was already married at that time, but with his naturally promiscuous nature, he still managed to get along well among women. Many girls would secretly give their hearts. When Yuan Zhen met Xue Tao, who was already 34 years old at the time, he naturally showed great hospitality. Perhaps it was fate. Xue Tao, who had always been aloof and arrogant, was deeply moved by Yuan Zhen’s pursuit. Over and over, Xue Tao actually fell in love with Yuan Zhen. This was the beginning of Xue Tao’s tragic life.
Xue Tao regarded Yuan Zhen as another sun in her life, believing that it was Yuan Zhen who illuminated her life path. She even wrote a poem called “Four Spring Wishing Poems” to express her longing for Yuan Zhen.
Flowers bloom with different rewards, while flowers fall with different sorrows. I want to ask about the place of lovesickness, when flowers bloom and fall. Embracing the grass and forming a united heart will leave behind a kindred spirit. Spring sorrow is coming to an end, and spring birds are once again mournful. The wind and flowers are about to grow old, and the good season is still far away. Without a united heart, an empty heart forms a united grass. The branches are full of flowers, turning into two lovesickness. The jade chopsticks hang towards the mirror, the spring breeze knows whether or not.
From the poem, it can be seen that Xue Tao hated marrying at that time! Perhaps it was more than twenty years of loneliness and solitude that made her decide to give it a try, hoping that Yuan Zhen could take her away from this tired place of wind and moon. It can only be said that women in love are the dumbest, otherwise Xue Tao is so smart, why would he believe a man who is just playing around? And for this, he laid the foundation for his own future.
Xue Tao was once immersed in his own love, completely disregarding Wei Gao, who had shown her support in the past. Originally, Wei Gao thought that with Xue Tao’s “advanced age” at the time, and Yuan Zhen, it was just a fleeting romantic teasing, but he did not expect Xue Tao to show his true feelings.
After this poem was exposed, Wei Gao became angry! He had always admired Xue Tao, kept in touch with her, and even helped her establish a foothold in Sichuan, but he never expected Xue Tao to “betray” him! This result made Wei Gao angry with Xue Tao. In a fit of rage, he found a random reason to send Xue Tao away. What’s even more chilling is that Yuan Zhen was gone at this moment!
Yuan Zhen’s excuse for leaving at that time was to go home, but it would be ten years since he left! Yuan Zhen’s departure and the desolation of being exiled on the road completely shattered Xue Tao’s dream of becoming a bride. At this moment, Xue Tao realized that love was so short-lived, and she wanted to rely on it but ended up sacrificing herself. Therefore, she wrote the timeless “Ten Departure Poems”.
This poem was not written for Yuan Zhen, but for Wei Gao. The poem uses phrases such as “swallows, parrots, horses, eagles, and palms” to metaphorically describe oneself, while using lines such as “little hands” and “master” to metaphorically describe Wei Gao, and also depicts the sadness of his exile these few days.
After seeing this, Wei Gao couldn’t help but think of Xue Tao’s beauty and charm in his youth. The poem did indeed make him feel guilty, so he quickly welcomed Xue Tao back. Yuan Zhen did not appear during this period of turmoil. He even wrote a love poem for his first wife, “Li Si,” which reads “Except for Wushan, it is not clouds.” In his heart, his first wife will always be his most important position, and Xue Tao is just a small flower that someone else encountered during their lifetime.
However, Xue Tao had always held onto the illusion that Yuan Zhen was only held back by his original partner, and given time, there would always be a chance for Yuan Zhen to come find him. However, in fact, after leaving Xue Tao, Yuan Zhen went home and lived obediently. He told Xue Tao that the journey was too far to find her.
But ten years later, Yuan Zhen had a sudden idea and wanted to go see Xue Tao. However, he was too passionate and charming. On the way, Yuan Zhen met Liu Caichun. At that time, Liu Caichun was like Xue Tao from decades ago, young, beautiful, and knowledgeable. Soon, Yuan Zhen forgot about Xue Tao again. Coincidentally, his married wife was no longer alive, and Yuan Zhen and Liu Caichun lived together. After learning of this result, Xue Tao completely gave up. Afterwards, she built a small bamboo tower for herself and lived a pure and celibate life, never marrying.
A beautiful love can give birth to many excellent poems, but the ruthless betrayal of one party can also make the originally excellent person disappear silently.
