There's a perfume stealing moist from a shaft of red blossom,
And a mist, through the heart, from the magical Hill of Wu- -
The palaces of China have never known such beauty-
Not even Flying Swallow with all her glittering garments.
一枝秾艳露凝香，云雨巫山枉断肠。
借问汉宫谁得似，可怜飞燕倚新妆。
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一枝紅豔露凝香， 雲雨巫山枉斷腸。
借問漢宮誰得似， 可憐飛燕倚新妝。
Folk-song-styled-verse
This poem centers on the beauty and favor of Yang Guifei, using imagery such as flowers, the goddess, and the ancient beauty Zhao Feiyan to layer upon layer highlight her unparalleled elegance and supreme status. Emperor Xuanzong of Tang doted on Yang Guifei excessively, and the poet uses this to express her glory of "gathering the favor of three thousand in one person," while also subtly implying a critique of the emperor's excessive favoritism.
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.
Look for Contrasts: light and shadow, movement and stillness. Don't just translate the words; feel the Yijing (artistic conception) that lingers long after the last character.
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