Snow upon the Cedar Tree


Snow upon the Cedar Tree is a Yashidal love ballad from the 14th century MOD by an unnamed author. It has five verses or three verses and two choruses (C-V-V-V-C pattern), which hints at its War Poem origins.
Most of the poem's sheet music was written for lute or zither that got later adapted for other instruments, with the compositions of [1], [2], [3], and [4] being the most well-known. [5]'s iteration is commonly used as a beginner's piece for the instruments since it is a simplistic version of [3]'s composition, whereas [2]'s composition is considered proof of "true mastery."

Content


Snow falls on the cedar tree
Unfamiliar frost in the youthful heart
Looking upon the cedar tree
A warmth now worlds apart

The silver moon has come and gone
In solitude with those lonely hearts
A path of white camellia
Is what is left within the dark

Hair as black as cedar wood
Lies in a chest of silk
Cold steel was all it took
To make this blossom wilt

Camellia once white in bloom
Now tainted red by blood
An echo sounds throughout the night
‘Til morning dawns, my love

Snow falls on the cedar tree
How it withered, this faithful heart
Looking down from the cedar tree
A warmth just breaths apart

Themes & Motifs

  As is common within Yashidal poetry, the ballad references Flower Language, although it can be read as quite literal due to the winter scenery in the poem.

Camellia

White - waiting
Red - in love, perishing in grace

Cedar Tree

magnificence, longevity, unconditional self-sacrefice
Black Cedar - unparalleled, precious
Black cedar had been a popular wood for furniture amongst nobility since the Wuchang period.

Moon

Motherly love or guidance, healing, comfort, fertility, sentimentality, evanescence, suffering

Night

Fear, loneliness, cover, secrecity, the unconsciousness

Snow

Death, beauty, serenity, reason, clarity

Soldier's Sacrifice

Since the Soldier's Sacrifice had been introduced into the military during Yashin's reign, it has been a staple element in Yashidal literature, especially during or after wars, bringing back the true horrors of it to the general consciousness.

Form


Circle Poem

The C-V-V-V-C form is common within War Poetry of late 13th and early 14th century, with the beginning being the end and the end being the beginning, marking any action or even the very existence as meaningless and redundant.

Cross Rhymes

Almost all verses have the cross rhyme pattern (abab) in its purest form. Cross rhymes indicate the crossing of a threshold, oftentimes even synonymous with Death or the Journey to the Underworld.

Interpretations


The most widespread and universally acknowledged interpretation is that the poem tells the story of a young lord who mourns his lover's death since she was killed in battle. Not being able to bear the loss, he then commits suicide.
Type
Text, Literary (Novel/Poetry)
Medium
Paper

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