"yet" in this context...

[nq:1]Here is a sentence: Yet it needed the song of those cicadas to break a white-haired prisoner's heart... How to understand "yet" here ? I am not sure at all... Could someone help ?[/nq]
It's referring back to whatever was said before and contrasting that with the statement in this sentence. To interpret it fully we really need to know what was said before.
Regards, Einde O'Callaghan

[nq:2]Here is a sentence: Yet it needed the song of ... ? I am not sure at all... Could someonehelp ?[/nq]
[nq:1]It's referring back to whatever was said before and contrasting that with the statement in this sentence. To interpret it fully we really need to know what was said before.[/nq]
We don't really need to know what has gone before to give a definition of yet in this particular sent

[nq:1]Here is a sentence: Yet it needed the song of those cicadas to break a white-haired prisoner's heart... How to understand "yet" here ? I am not sure at all... Could someone help ?[/nq]
Replace with "But".
-Luke

[nq:1]We don't really need to know what has gone before to give a definition of yet in this particular sentence, however... "Yet," in this context, means "Even though what was said before is true..."[/nq]
Thank you all for your help ! It's very kind from you. In case, here is the first sentence:
"While the year sinks westward, I hear a cicada
Bid me to be resolute here in my cell,

[nq:1]So just replacing "yet" by "but" is ok ?[/nq]
In this context, yes!
-Luke

Thank you !

I think that "and" would be better than 'but' in this context

While the year sinks westward, I hear a cicada
Bid me to be resolute here in my cell,
And it needed the song of those cicadas to break a white-haired prisoner's heart...