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Ts’ui Hao (704–754) was from Kaifeng and established his reputation as a poet in Ch’ang-an while still in his teens. During this early period his verse followed the carefully regulated usages of court poetics, but he soon broke free into nonconformist technique as well as unrestrained behavior. He was greatly admired by Li Pai. And like Li, he annoyed as many people as he impressed and did not enjoy a successful career. Hengtang (Cross Dike) was the embankment along the Chinhuai River, from Nanching’s southwest gate to the Yangtze ten kilometers to the west; the area where the two rivers met was called Changkan (Longpole). Here, the poet speaks through a young girl who is a member of the boat people who still make up separate cultural and linguistic groups in South China. This was the first of four poems. In the second, Ts’ui presents the boy’s answer: “My home overlooks the Great River / I travel along the Great River’s banks / I’m from Longpole too / but I’ve never seen you before.” Longpole ballads, characterized by exchanges between a boy and girl from Changkan, were also written by other T’ang poets.

Ballad of Changkan

TS’UI HAO

Where are you from good sir

this maid is from Hengtang

I ask while our boats are moored

perhaps we’re from the same place