It was raining heavily and after a flurry of messages from friends that set me on the theme of this poem. Also I had taken liberties from the Po Chu-i's Ballad of the Wandering Lute.
1 嘈切雨聲酒一壺 Loud pitter, soft pattering rain and a jug of wine,
2 殘光剪燭殷勤顧 Waning candlelight, the wick gingerly cut.
3 金屋無人守寂寥 Empty House of Gold, but loneliness to look after,
4 只是有朝顏色故 Only that one day, my colors would turn old.
5 影下重見舊日春 Under the shadows, springs bygone once more seen,
6 神武威凛昆明湖 Divine awe-inspired prowess on the Lake of Enlightened Descendants.
7 百鳥朝拜昭陽鳳 And a hundred birds swayed in respect to the Phoenix in the Palace of the Brilliant Sun,
8 可憐千金長門賦 Alas pity the Gate of Eternity Ballad of a thousand gold pieces.
3 – The House of Gold – Story of how Emperor Han Wu Ti was coached in answering his aunt when she asked if he would like to marry her daughter. He replied that if he is able to wed her, he would build her a house. This paved the way for the aunt – the favorite of the Empress Dowager to set him on the road to the throne.
4 – literally "face color" – the youthful bloom
1 嘈切雨聲酒一壺 Loud pitter, soft pattering rain and a jug of wine,
2 殘光剪燭殷勤顧 Waning candlelight, the wick gingerly cut.
3 金屋無人守寂寥 Empty House of Gold, but loneliness to look after,
4 只是有朝顏色故 Only that one day, my colors would turn old.
5 影下重見舊日春 Under the shadows, springs bygone once more seen,
6 神武威凛昆明湖 Divine awe-inspired prowess on the Lake of Enlightened Descendants.
7 百鳥朝拜昭陽鳳 And a hundred birds swayed in respect to the Phoenix in the Palace of the Brilliant Sun,
8 可憐千金長門賦 Alas pity the Gate of Eternity Ballad of a thousand gold pieces.
3 – The House of Gold – Story of how Emperor Han Wu Ti was coached in answering his aunt when she asked if he would like to marry her daughter. He replied that if he is able to wed her, he would build her a house. This paved the way for the aunt – the favorite of the Empress Dowager to set him on the road to the throne.
4 – literally "face color" – the youthful bloom
6 – Not the lake in Yunnan. It is the largest artificial lake in China built for military purposes. The Emperor’s troops were defeated by the naval forces in Yunnan and so he had one to train his naval troops. Its size is triple of West Lake. In later times, it was used for imperial leisure and as a reservoir. However, it dried up during the Sung Dynasty. Now it had become a tourist area after the lake was refilled.
7 – The palace where the Empress lived.
8 – Empress Chen, the house of gold for whom it was built, was deposed and she tried to regain favour with the emperor by asking Sima Hsiang Ru to write a poem for her to move the emperor’s heart. For this she paid 100 pounds of gold. I am taking poetic licence here to use a thousand pieces instead. However, it was not officially recorded that any reconciliation took place. This story is also taken with a grain of salt as it is believed that it is a work of later times because in the preface, the Emperor’s temple name was used which could be known at the time of Sima’s composition.
Monday, December 28, 2020
7 – The palace where the Empress lived.
8 – Empress Chen, the house of gold for whom it was built, was deposed and she tried to regain favour with the emperor by asking Sima Hsiang Ru to write a poem for her to move the emperor’s heart. For this she paid 100 pounds of gold. I am taking poetic licence here to use a thousand pieces instead. However, it was not officially recorded that any reconciliation took place. This story is also taken with a grain of salt as it is believed that it is a work of later times because in the preface, the Emperor’s temple name was used which could be known at the time of Sima’s composition.
Monday, December 28, 2020
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