High beyond the thick wall a tower shines with sunset
Where peach and plum are blooming and the willowcotton flies.
You have heard in your office the court-bell of twilight;
Birds find perches, officials head for home.
Your morning-jade will tinkle as you thread the golden palace;
You will bring the word of Heaven from the closing gates at night.
And I should serve there with you; but being full of years,
I have taken off official robes and am resting from my troubles.
洞门高阁霭余辉，桃李阴阴柳絮飞。
禁里疏钟官舍晚，省中啼鸟吏人稀。
晨摇玉佩趋金殿，夕奉天书拜琐闱。
强欲从君无那老，将因卧病解朝衣。
Composed during Wang Wei's middle-late years while holding prestigious yet increasingly ceremonial positions, this occasional poem reflects his semi-reclusive lifestyle. Written for Imperial Secretary Guo (a high-ranking official responsible for reviewing imperial decrees), the work transcends conventional flattery by interweaving praise, realistic depiction, and personal lyricism—embodying Wang Wei's signature "painterly poetry suffused with feeling."
Classical Chinese poetry thrives on Concision and Ambiguity. Without tense or number, the words create a timeless space where the reader becomes the co-creator of the poem's meaning.
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