“The pavilion casts a leisurely shadow beneath idle clouds; things change, and the stars shift through so many autumns. Where is the prince who once lived in the pavilion? Beyond the railing, the Yangtze flows on alone.”
These are lines from Wang Bo’s Preface to the Tengwang Pavilion, probably familiar to many people.
So who is the prince in the poem?
He is Li Yuanying, Prince Teng, the youngest son of Emperor Gaozu of Tang, Li Yuan. He built the pavilion and is the male lead of this story.
Prince Teng’s reputation in history is downright notorious, but let’s leave that aside for now.
His artistic talent, however, was no mere boast.
Consider these lines by the Yuan dynasty poet Yu Ji:
“Over the years, fish and dragons remain among the old things; in the deep spring, whose butterfly is this?”
And these lines by the Ming dynasty poet Yang Shiqi:
“The butterfly painting, unrivaled, has been passed down through the ages; the colors of spring wind have all faded away.”
Both poems mention butterflies, suggesting that Prince Teng had an unbreakable connection with them.
I’m also particularly fond of Prince Teng. No matter how many misdeeds he committed, I can’t help seeing a lonely, sorrowful prince, in public and in private,
leaving behind, across the long stretches of time and space, only the freedom and ethereal grace of his brushwork. (Sweat! I have quite an imagination.)
Butterflies dance all around him. There are butterflies in his eyes, butterflies in his heart...
What kind of story did he share with the butterflies...?
Dear readers, I’m only writing the story in my own heart, the Prince Teng I see. Please bear with me if it isn’t very good.
What about this... How do I put it... Let's put it this way... Ahem Already finished, Beibei
Hehe, it's a bit of a weird article. . .