The Emperor lives in the Nightless Palace
- Poetry of Li Bai (Li Po)

《秦女卷衣》

- Last updated: 2024-03-20 14:26:32

中文原文

天子居未央，妾侍卷衣裳。

顾无紫宫宠，敢拂黄金床。

水至亦不去，熊来尚可当。

微身奉日月，飘若萤之光。

愿君采葑菲，无以下体妨。

English Translation

The Emperor lives in the Nightless palace,

i make up to wait for him kissing my face.

He hasn't had a rave on me,

how could i sit on his bed?

He has the magic of stopping the avalanche,

i'll die for him because he's my fate's thread.

Serving for him like bathing in the moonshine,

i'm small as the firefly but feeling happy truly.

Just wish my emperor won't abandon me like the old wine,

i'll guard him like an frail angel who only knows how to love a man.

By Li Po

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.

List of Chinese poets