2 Calligraphy Bookmarks with Tender Green Pattern and Silver Tassel – 1

This two-piece calligraphy bookmark set embodies the delicate and enduring power of love and longing. The tender green background symbolizes vitality and hope, while the carefully written calligraphy brings to life two lines of timeless Chinese poetry:

“才下眉頭，卻上心頭。”
(“Just left my brows, yet rises in my heart.”)

These words express how thoughts of a loved one linger — even when the physical ache fades, love remains, quietly filling the heart.

The Meaning and Origin of the Words

The lines come from the famous poem 《一剪梅》 (A Twig of Plum Blossom), written by Li Qingzhao (李清照, 1084–1155 CE), one of China’s most celebrated female poets. She lived during the Song Dynasty and is known for her deeply emotional and elegant poetry, particularly her works about love, longing, and the passage of time.

This poem was written during a time of personal hardship. Li Qingzhao had a profound love for her husband, Zhao Mingcheng, and after his passing, her poetry became even more melancholic, filled with themes of separation and nostalgia. 《一剪梅》 expresses the sorrow of missing a loved one, showing how emotions linger even when one tries to move on.

Full couplet in context:

“此情无计可消除，才下眉头，却上心头。”
(“There’s no way to dispel this feeling; just left my brows, yet rises in my heart.”)

These lines paint a vivid picture of a person struggling with deep emotions. At first, the sadness shows on the face (眉头, “brows”), but even as the expression fades, the feeling remains in the heart (心头, “heart”). It describes the way thoughts of a loved one return again and again, much like waves in the ocean—just when you think they have receded, they rise once more.

This theme of enduring love and longing makes these words especially powerful. They resonate with anyone who has ever experienced separation from a loved one, be it due to distance, time, or fate. Through this simple yet profound imagery, Li Qingzhao captures the universal feeling of missing someone deeply.

About the Poet

Li Qingzhao is one of China’s most celebrated poets and is widely regarded as the greatest female poet of the Song Dynasty. Born into a scholarly family, she was highly educated and developed a deep love for literature from an early age. Unlike many women of her time, she had the freedom to study, write, and express her thoughts through poetry.

She is best known for her ci poetry (词)—a lyrical form that was often set to music. Her works stand out for their elegance, emotional depth, and keen sensitivity to love, loss, and the passage of time. In her early years, her poetry was lighthearted and playful, reflecting the joy of love and intellectual companionship with her husband, Zhao Mingcheng (赵明诚), a scholar and calligrapher. However, after his death and the fall of the Northern Song Dynasty, her later poems became filled with sorrow and longing, reflecting her personal grief and the turbulence of the times.

As a female poet in a male-dominated literary world, Li Qingzhao broke barriers with her bold and expressive writing. Her poems offer a rare and intimate glimpse into the emotions of a woman in ancient China—her joys, her sorrows, and her resilience. She is often referred to as “the greatest female poet of China” (千古第一才女), and her works continue to be celebrated for their beauty and emotional power.

Through her poetry, she gave voice to the depth of human emotions, making her legacy timeless.

Why Choose This Bookmark?

Each bookmark is lovingly crafted, featuring the artist’s signature name seal and leisure seal, adding authenticity and artistic charm. The gentle green background enhances the emotional depth of the poetry, symbolizing the quiet endurance of love through life’s changing seasons.

Let this calligraphy bookmark set be a reminder: True love lingers, quietly blooming in the heart. 🌸