A Heavenly Woman's Imprisoned in the Palace (Buddhist Dancers)
- Poetry of Li Yu

《菩萨蛮·蓬莱院闭天台女》

English Translation

A heavenly woman's imprisoned in the palace at Penglai Hill,

All are silent as she sleeps by day in the painted hall.

Her glossy hair is spread like cloud on the pillow,

Her embroidered clothes bear a wondrous fragrance.

I secretly come and slide the pearl lock back,

She's startled from her dream behind the silver screen.

Her smiling face is overflowing with bliss,

We gaze at each other with unbounded love.

By Li Yu

中文原文( Chinese )

蓬莱院闭天台女，画堂昼寝人无语。

抛枕翠云光，绣衣闻异香。

潜来珠锁动，惊觉银屏梦。

脸慢笑盈盈，相看无限情。

- Last updated: 2025-06-07 07:52:27

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