The Song of Everlasting Regret, a timeless masterpiece, is not only a classic work by Bai Juyi, but also a perfect interweaving of the rise and fall of the Tang Dynasty and the tragedy of love. It has left a vivid mark in the long river of history with its affectionate poetry and rich imagery.
Yang Yuhuan was born into a family of officials and was raised by her uncle due to her father’s early death. She became beautiful and charming as an adult, and was proficient in music. Soon after, she was noticed by Prince Shou Li Mao, and Emperor Xuanzong of Tang personally issued an edict to confer upon her the title of Princess Shou. Surprisingly, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang fell in love with Yang Yuhuan at first sight and couldn’t forget her.
In order to possess her for a long time and deceive others, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang ordered her to become a female Taoist, with a very authentic Taoist name. In 745 AD, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang officially appointed Yang Yuhuan as the Noble Consort, known as Yang Guifei in history. After entering the palace, Yang Yuhuan was named Noble Consort, but in reality, her status was like that of an empress, deeply favored by Emperor Xuanzong of Tang. He publicly declared, “I have obtained Noble Consort Yang, as if I had obtained the most precious treasure.” The two showed their love without hesitation, just as the poem “Song of Everlasting Regret” says, “There are three thousand beauties in the harem, and three thousand loves are all in one.” This is not an exaggeration, but a fact. With the special favor of Yang Guifei, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang also gave the Yang family extremely high rewards, including various official positions and wealth.
Yang Guifei comes from Shu and loves lychees, so she quickly delivers lychees every year. Later, the great poet Du Mu wrote a poem satirizing this: “A ride of the Red Dust Concubine laughs, no one knows it’s lychee.” Such a large expenditure of financial resources and military force to transport dispensable lychee ultimately led to the decline of the prosperous Tang Dynasty.
Due to Emperor Xuanzong’s neglect of political affairs and arrogance in his later years, the An Lushan Rebellion erupted. At that time, the country had achieved peace for many years and lacked experience in war. In addition, Prime Minister Yang Guozhong was jealous of talented people and made mistakes in command, which brought disaster to the country. The rebels quickly advanced and approached the capital of the Tang Dynasty, Chang’an. In a critical moment, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang had to hastily flee Chang’an with several followers and seek refuge in the Shu region.
When they arrived at Mawei Post, the guards of the Forbidden Army suddenly rebelled and demanded the execution of Yang Guozhong and Yang Yuhuan siblings to quell public grievances. In order to protect himself, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang reluctantly agreed. So, the noble consort Bai Ling committed suicide, and a generation of beautiful women passed away with fragrance and jade, and their dreams were shattered on Ma Weipo. People are not plants and trees, who can be ruthless? In the “Song of Everlasting Sorrow,” it is mentioned that “the king covered his face and could not be saved. Looking back, blood and tears flowed in harmony.” Although it is somewhat exaggerated and artistically embellished, a thousand years later, we can still feel the sorrow and helplessness of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang at that time, as well as his deep grief.
Therefore, Bai Juyi created this long poem “Song of Everlasting Regret”, emphasizing the artistic conception of “eternal love sometimes ends, and this hatred lasts endlessly”. Through the ups and downs of time, the beautiful language, sincere emotions, and poignant love of ‘Song of Everlasting Regret’ continue to stir up ripples in the hearts of readers throughout history, and will be passed down forever. Perhaps this is the true charm of this work.
