Love at first sight legend: Cui Hu’s Love Story
“On this day last year, within this very door,
A face like peach blossoms, blushing in accord.
Where is that face now, no one can say,
While peach blossoms still smile at the spring breeze today.”
This seven-character quatrain by Cui Hu, simple in words yet naturally sincere, has been celebrated by later generations for centuries. Behind this little poem lies a legendary story, recorded in both Records of Tang Poetry and Anecdotes of Poems.
Cui Hu, a man from Boling, was a person of exceptional beauty and character, though he was solitary and seldom made friends. After passing the imperial examination as a Jinshi, he decided to go on a spring outing alone on the day of the Qingming Festival. As he wandered south of the capital, he came upon a small manor with grounds covering about an acre, lush with trees and flowers but seemingly uninhabited. He approached and knocked on the door. After a while, a young woman peeked through a crack in the door and asked, “Who is it?” Cui Hu introduced himself, explaining, “I am on a spring outing outside the city alone. After drinking, I became thirsty, so I came to ask for some water.” The young woman brought him a cup of water and invited him inside to sit down. She stood quietly by a small peach tree, her heart full of deep emotions for her guest. She was strikingly beautiful, her demeanor charming and graceful. Cui Hu tried to engage her in conversation, but she remained silent. The two of them gazed at each other for a long time before Cui Hu finally stood to leave. As she escorted him to the door, she seemed reluctant to part, silently returning to the house, while Cui Hu left, casting no backward glance, feeling melancholy as he walked away.
Afterward, Cui Hu resolved never to see her again. However, when the next Qingming Festival arrived, he found himself overcome with longing for her, a longing he could not control. He hurried back to the southern outskirts of the city to find her. When he arrived, the manor looked the same as before, but the gate was locked. Cui Hu then wrote a poem on the left door panel:
“On this day last year, within this very door,
A face like peach blossoms, blushing in accord.
Where is that face now, no one can say,
While peach blossoms still smile at the spring breeze today.”
A few days later, he unexpectedly returned to the southern outskirts and sought the young woman again. Hearing cries from inside, he knocked on the door to inquire. An elderly man came out and asked, “Aren’t you Cui Hu?” Cui Hu replied, “Yes, I am.” The old man began to weep and said, “It is you who have killed my daughter.” Cui Hu was shocked and terrified, not knowing how to respond. The old man explained, “My daughter was grown, knowledgeable, and virtuous, but she remained unmarried. Since last year, she had been often dazed, as if something was missing. That day, we went out to lift her spirits, but upon returning home, she saw the words written on the left door panel. After reading them, she fell ill as soon as she entered the house, and she starved herself for several days before passing away. I am old and had only this daughter. The reason she was not yet married was because I was waiting for a reliable gentleman to entrust her future to. Now she has tragically passed away. Is this not your doing?” With that, the old man broke down in tears. Cui Hu, deeply saddened, pleaded to enter and mourn the deceased.
The young woman was still lying peacefully on her bed. Cui Hu lifted her head to rest on his lap, crying out as he prayed, “I am here, I am here…” After a while, the young woman opened her eyes. After some time, she came back to life. The old man was overjoyed and betrothed his daughter to Cui Hu.
There is nothing more beautiful in life than love at first sight!
Thank you for reading! ” Sitestorys “
