Yan Jidao, the son of the eminent statesman Yan Shu, had little interest in a political career but was passionate about ci poetry. He left behind only one collection of writing: his ci lyrics. This was almost unthinkable for someone from such a prestigious family, as ci poetry was considered a lowly genre. Yan Jidao’s lyrics mainly focus on love affairs with courtesans, often portraying a male persona worried about being abandoned by his lover: a perspective rarely found in Chinese poetry.

• Little Lotus has yet to learn to unravel her heart’s tangled feelings
• When I met her, I wanted to tell her my pain of yearning
• Since we parted, I often recall the time in the western tower
• Back then I met with her in the western building under the moon
• Green shades the spring’s endI could not make her stay
• Holding the fragrant paper in fingers, I think about Little Lotus
• Back then, I believed that love is priceless
• On the painted screen, the edge of sky
• The colorful sleeves held the jade cup with affection
• As I awake from the dream, the high terrace is locked
• The dew on the Metal Palm at the edge of sky has turned into frost