A Comparative Study of the Spirituality in King David’s Psalms and the Ci-Poems of Li Yu, the Last Ruler of the Southern Tang Dynasty

Abstract

King David of Israel’s Psalms and Li Yu (the Last Ruler of the Southern Tang Dynasty)’s ci-poems stand as treasures of world historical culture. Both figures, embodying the dual identity of “monarch-poet,” witnessed profound suffering amid exile or flight—experiences they immortalized in their works, infusing the texts with profound spiritual connotations. Yet, the essence of their spirituality diverges fundamentally. Rooted in David’s unwavering faith in God, Psalms frames his exile-induced anguish as a consequence of his own transgressions, perceiving hardship as divine discipline. The collection resonates with the agony of guilt, while simultaneously radiating the redemptive relief of being forgiven by God upon confession and repentance; its core liesin absolute faith in the Divine and earnest hope for salvation. In contrast, Li Yu’s ci-poems are rooted in his adherence to Buddhism. Li Yu laments his fate through meditations on the impermanence of worldly affairs: he underscores the Buddhist “Suffering”(dukkha) by juxtaposing past prosperity with present despair, and interprets the “Emptiness”(śūnyatā) through themetaphor of “life as a fleeting dream.” The spiritual core of his verses lies in transcending the illusory nature of mundane existence and achieving self-deliverance through personal spiritual cultivation. By comparing the spirituality of these two bodies of work, this study reveals the differential influences of two belief systems—Christianity’s emphasis on “Godinitiated redemption” and Buddhism’s focus on “self-cultivation for liberation”—on the creation of literature.