English Rendering
Four hundred moon-bred steeds with dragon's grace,
Proudly prance to golden drums with light-foot pace.
As the music ends, they seem to seek king's affection,
Yet dare not neigh when gazing at the crimson mansion.
Seven Poems on Kaiyuan Era: Dancing Horses
- Poetry of Lu Guimeng
《开元杂题七首 · 舞马》
Original Text (中文原文)
月窟龙孙四百蹄，骄骧轻步应金鞞。
曲终似要君王宠，回望红楼不敢嘶。
Analysis & Context
This poem is part of the Seven Miscellaneous Poems of the Kaiyuan Era, drawing on the Tang Dynasty tradition of "dancing horse" performances. During the Kaiyuan heyday, Emperor Xuanzong indulged in music, women, and luxury, with hundreds of expertly trained "dancing horses" in the court that could dance to musical rhythms to entertain the ruler. Zhang Yue once wrote "Dancing Horse Music of a Thousand Autumns," praising the Kaiyuan dancing horses, but Lu Guimeng, writing in the late Tang, repurposes the theme for critique and satire. In the late Tang, with regional warlords fragmenting the land, eunuchs monopolizing power, and political corruption, literati often adopted a critical stance. In this poem, Lu uses dancing horses as a metaphor for flattering courtiers, exposing the rulers’ extravagance and the subordinates’ servile sycophancy.
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.
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