Lee Yuk

The ruler of the fallen Southern Tang Dynasty in China during the Five Dynasties. Known as the Later Ruler. He was originally called Zhongjia, but later changed his name to Yu. His pen name was Shigemitsu. He was the sixth son of Central Ruler Li Jing. In 961 (Song, the second year of the founding of Taizu), he immediately ascended to the throne upon the death of Central Ruler Li Jing, and after 15 years on the throne, he went down to Song in 975 and was imprisoned in the Song capital of Bianjing, where he lived as a prisoner. On his 42nd birthday, on July 7, 978 (the third year of the Taiping Xingguo), he was poisoned and killed. At a young age, he was well versed in poetry, calligraphy, painting, and music, and was particularly skilled in lyrics. Many of his works before the fall of his country were innocent poems of love. After his imprisonment, he wrote many immortal works that poignantly sang of his deep longing for his homeland and his resentment for the loss of his country, and his achievement in breaking new ground in poetry is enormous. His poems, along with those of Li Yu, are included in the "Nantang Two Main Poems."

[Hiroshi Aoyama]

"Annotated by Murakami Tetsuken, 'Selected Chinese Poets 16: Li Yu' (1959, Iwanami Shoten)"

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

中国、五代南唐の亡国の国主。後主(こうしゅ)と称される。初め従嘉(じゅうか)といったが、のちに煜に改めた。字(あざな)は重光。中主李璟(りえい)の第6子。961年（宋(そう)、太祖の建隆2）中主が没するとただちに即位、在位15年ののち、975年宋に下り、宋都汴京(べんけい)に幽閉され虜囚の生活を送った。978年（太平興国3）7月7日、42歳の誕生日に毒を盛られて殺された。若くして詩文、書画、音楽に通じ、わけても詞を得意とした。亡国前の作品は、愛の姿を天真爛漫(らんまん)に歌ったものが多い。幽閉後は深い望郷の思いと亡国の恨みを、せつせつと歌い上げた不朽の作が多く、詞の新生面を切り開いた功績はきわめて大きい。詞は李煜の作品とあわせて『南唐二主詞』に収められる。

［青山　宏］

『村上哲見注『中国詩人選集16　李煜』（1959・岩波書店）』

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