Liu Yong was perhaps the most widely-read ci writer during the Northern Song dynasty: his fans ranged from courtesans, to officials, to literary critics. It was in Liu Yong’s ci poetry that the Chinese reader first encountered descriptions of romantic suffering from a male perspective: the topic had previously been rejected by writers as too frivolous. Before Liu, most lyrics were written for short songs, but he started a trend for writing ci lyrics to fit longer tunes, allowing him to explore human psychology in greater depth.

• "Drooping hairdo, I am too listless to comb it" | 墜髻慵梳
• "The bedroom remembers the day we first met" | 洞房記得初相遇
• "Phoenix pillows and peacock curtains" | 鳳枕鸞帷
• Frozen clouds dim the sky
• Since the spring comes
• I awaken from dream
• Dallying in the capital
• By mistake, I entered a narrow alley in the Pingkang Ward
• On a thin boat, the light sail is furled
• The fragrant dimple is deep
• Sobered up