Forcing myself to have at least 121 poems for 2022. The draft of the first stanza was done when I finished my jog. The second one was done while I was practising with my brush.
2 蘭臺官高郎情薄 Lessened affections an imperial librarian he now is.
3 天有桂殿我燭淚 Heaven has its Osmanthus Hall but a candle of tears for me,
4 琵琶一曲是寂寞 This pipa tune I play is my loneliness.
5 勸君懇讀妾殷勤 Urged him in diligent study, tending to his every need ever so solicitously
6 貧寒二人比仙樂 We may be poor but in togetherness, happier than any immortal.
7 銀河雙星鵲橋會 Upon the magpie bridge, Twin Stars of the Silver River twain shall meet,
8 錦秀年華再不覺 But fond memories from those days of yore no longer felt.
1 Women of the upper classes usually lived in total boredom as their movements were curtailed extensively. Perhaps, once in their lifetime during the Lantern Festival would they be allowed to roam outside of their homes. Catching butterflies or fireflies with their silk fans was one of their few pastimes in life.
2 The Orchid Terrace houses the imperial collection of books during the Han and Tang Dynasties.
3 Another moniker for the moon. It can also mean “the imperial harem”. They all imply loneliness – the loneliness of the moon goddess Chang Er, the neglected women in the harem. Hence “heaven” can mean the imperial court. 殿is the imperial place of administration while 宮 is the imperial residence. The dripping wax is like a weeping candle.
5 君 honorific term for the husband and 妾is self-deprecating term used by the wife. It does not mean “concubine”!
7 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qixi_Festival
Friday, December 23, 2022
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