Li Yu (Southern Tang)

Houzhu Li (李 后主Chinese, Pinyin lǐ Hou 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 south Tang Empire. After his death he was known as Prince of Wu.

961 ascended Li Houzhou after the death of his father to the throne of the already threatened by the Song Dynasty Tang Empire. Great importance as a ruler, he could not attain, and by 976 conquered the Song Nanjing, the capital of the Tang Empire, and abducted Li Houzhou to Kaifeng. 978 he was poisoned there by Song Taizong, after he had written a letter addressed to this poem.

Much of his time spent on Li Houzhou for writing poems. He wrote mainly in the form of lyrics. The best known of his works were written in the time of his captivity. Today, only 45 of his poems have survived.

In addition to the translation of Alfred Hoffmann ( first 1950), there are transfers of Hans Jürgen von der Wense that are only excerpts been published.