Incense Poetry · Volume Navigation
The incense in poetry is half physical substance, half state of mind. This collection reads the incense imagery in poetic lines, and the real ways of using incense behind them.
Volume Contents
- Nalan Xingde and Incense: Incense Imagery in the Drinkshui Ci
- Agarwood in Tang Poetry: How Tang Poets Wrote About Incense
- "Romance of the Western Chamber" and "The Peony Pavilion": Incense in Opera
This collection andComprehensive Collection of Poems with the Character Xiang (Incense)、Incense Poetryare complementary: those two focus on compilation, while this one focuses on interpretation.
Poems on Incense · Volume Navigation
The following Q&A is compiled from content on this site for quick reference; the medicinal properties of incense materials are described as traditional understanding and do not constitute medical advice.
How is agarwood written about in Tang poetry?
Tang writers often portrayed agarwood in palace and temple settings, such as the Agarwood Pavilion and Agarwood Chamber, offerings before Buddha, and also boudoir incense burning; in style, incense was often used to depict wealth and solitude.
What is 'heart-shaped incense'?
A type of incense in which incense powder is formed into the character 'heart' and burned; seen repeatedly in Song ci poetry (such as in the ci of Li Qingzhao and Jiang Jie), it serves both as a timekeeping device and as a metaphor for feelings.
What is incense used for in opera?
In Romance of the Western Chamber and The Peony Pavilion, incense burning is mostly used in scenes of moon worship, prayer, expressing love, and pledging love; incense externalizes the characters' wishes and also marks turning points in stage emotion.