Li Houzhu
Li Houzhu ( Chinese 李 後主 , Pinyin Lǐ Hòu Zhǔ ; personal name : Li Yu, 李煜 , Lǐ Yù ; * 937 in Nanjing , † 978 in Kaifeng ) was a Chinese poet and the last king of the southern Tang Empire . After his death, he became known as the Prince of Wu .
In 961, after the death of his father, Li Houzhou ascended the throne of the Tang empire, which was already threatened by the Song Dynasty . He could no longer achieve great importance as a ruler, and around 976 the Song conquered Nanjing, the capital of the Tang Empire, and abducted Li Houzhou to Kaifeng. In 978 he was poisoned there by Song Taizong after he wrote a poem directed against him.
Li Houzhou spent much of his time writing poetry. He wrote mainly in the form of song lyrics . The most famous of his works were created during his imprisonment. Today only 45 of his poems remain.
In addition to the translation by Alfred Hoffmann (first in 1950), there are transmissions by Hans Jürgen von der Wense , which so far have only been published in part.
Trivia
In 2014, a piece of paper with a poem by Li Houzhu was found sewn into an item of clothing and initially mistakenly mistaken for a cry for help from exploited seamstresses in China.
Individual evidence
- ^ HJ von der Wense: From carrion to cylinder. Works 1 , Frankfurt / M. 2005, pp. 226-233
- ↑ Inna Hartwich: Chinese lyrics in the boxer shorts. Berliner Zeitung, August 22, 2014, accessed on August 29, 2014 .
literature
- Alfred Hoffmann: The songs of Li Yü 937-978 , The Commercial Press, 1982
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Li Houzhu |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | 李 後主 (Chinese); ǐ hòu zhǔ |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Chinese poet and the last king of the southern Tang Empire |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 937 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Nanjing |
| DATE OF DEATH | 978 |
| Place of death | Kaifeng |