English Rendering
Her jade-white staircase is cold with dew;
Her silk soles are wet, she lingered there so long....
Behind her closed casement, why is she still waiting,
Watching through its crystal pane the glow of the autumn moon?
A Sigh From a Staircase of Jade
- Poetry of Li Bai (Li Po)
《玉阶怨》
Original Text (中文原文)
玉阶生白露，夜久侵罗袜。
却下水晶帘，玲珑望秋月。
Analysis & Context
Folk-song-styled-verse
This palace-plaint poem by Li Bai follows the traditional melodic theme, depicting a palace maiden's melancholy on an autumn night. Under the Tang dynasty's rigid court system, countless women lived in splendid isolation—some never gaining imperial favor, others abandoned after brief affection. Through delicate environmental imagery, the poet conveys her quiet despair, embodying sympathy for all women trapped in the gilded cage of feudal aristocracy.
Reader's Companion
The Essence of the Verse
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.
Reading Between the Lines
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.
- The Song of a Southern Maid V
- Observing the Moon
- Su Wu
- Ancient Air: A Northern Belle
- Awaiting the Wine That Doesn’t Come
- Consoling Myself
- The Summit Temple
- <Prelude to Water Melody> Sent to Ziyou on Mid-autumn Festival
- Invitation to Wine
- Question and Answer in the Mountains
- Cold sheet
- Coming Home ( Returning Home )
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