虞美人﹒春花秋月何時了

李煜

春花秋月何時了，往事知多少。

小樓昨夜又東風，故國不堪回首月明中。

雕欄玉砌應猶在，只是朱顏改。

問君能有幾多愁，恰似一江春水向東流。

In case you are thinking that the background song is just another aunty or old-man song, you better think twice. The lyrcis is actually derived from a a Tang Poem, written by the 3rd and last emperor of 'Nantang' kingdom, Li Yu (not refering to gillian).

Li Yu, the last emperor of the Southern Tang kingdom (937–976), was the poet who elevated the status of Ci poetry to equal that of Tang poetry. He wrote his most memorable poems about life and the loss of youth and happiness in the two years after losing his kingdom. He has regretted neglecting his kingdom, while engrossing excessively on enjoyment and beauty of life on songs, poems and literature.

While serving in exile under the new governing Song Dynasty, he asked a dancer to sing out the following piece of poem on his birthday. This incurred the wrath of the King and he was subqly forced to drink poison as death penalty. Try reading the poem in depth, and see how much you can appreciate and relate it to the Dharma:

Oh when will autumn moon and spring flowers end?
How many past events I've known.
- A sign of relentless by the poet towards the superficial beauty of the world, with countless repeats of events in life.

The east wind buffeted my room again last night,
I cannot bear to remember the bright moon of the old country.
- Sufferings caused by great attachments to the past

The marble steps and carved balustrades must still be there,
The people's rosy cheeks are all that's changed.
- Though externally everything may seem to remain the same ie. the houses, buildings, but the faces and people are no longer the same (although i believe this is not exactly what the poet was trying to say)

How much sorrow can one man have to bear?
As much as a river of spring water flowing east.
- A sign of exasperation by the poet towards endless sufferings mankind has to bear in life.