The Spring Palace II
- Poetry of Du Mu
《过华清宫绝句 · 其二》
English Translation
Yellow dust raised by the steeds veiled trees like a screen;
The messenger deceived came to deceive the crown.
The Song of Rainbow Cloak over a thousand peaks green
Would not stop till the Central Plain was broken down.
This poem vividly depicts the scenes of extravagance and decadence preceding An Lushan's rebellion during Emperor Xuanzong's reign. An Lushan feigned loyalty while scheming rebellion, yet Emperor Xuanzong indulged him, ignoring warnings from the crown prince and his chancellor. The poem captures the fabricated reports of loyalty from An Lushan and the emperor’s deepening obsession with pleasures, symbolized by music and dance, foreshadowing the catastrophic rebellion.
中文原文( Chinese )
新丰绿树起黄埃，数骑渔阳探使回。
霓裳一曲千峰上，舞破中原始下来。
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- Why Chinese poems is so special?
- The most distinctive features of Chinese poetry are: concision- many poems are only four lines, and few are much longer than eight; ambiguity- number, tense and parts of speech are often undetermined, creating particularly rich interpretative possibilities; and structure- most poems follow quite strict formal patterns which have beauty in themselves as well as highlighting meaningful contrasts.
- How to read a Chinese poem?
- Like an English poem, but more so. Everything is there for a reason, so try to find that reason. Think about all the possible connotations, and be aware of the different possibilities of number and tense. Look for contrasts: within lines, between the lines of each couplet and between successive couplets. Above all, don't worry about what the poet meant- find your meaning.