Royal Banquet on Lantern Festival
- Poetry of Su Shi

《上元侍宴》

English Rendering

Gathered around Palace Jianzhang,

The moon and stars begin to fade.

A gentle wind down the censer sends

A scent with only Heaven it associates.

At Bright Hall courtiers craned their heads,

like a red cloud tending Palace of Jade.

Royal Banquet on Lantern Festival by Su Shi

Original Text (中文原文)

淡月疏星绕建章，仙风吹下御炉香。

侍臣鹄立通明殿，一朵红云捧玉皇。

Analysis & Context

Su Shi crafted this 4-line, one stanza poem (jueju 绝句) in response to the Emperor's request for a poem on a festive occasion. In 1093, he was called to the Court from Yangzhou. At that time, he served as the Minister of the Military Department and was newly appointed as the Minister of Rite.

As the Emperor's favored courtier once more, he was experiencing a gratifying moment near the Throne. The poem is a simple piece of praise, yet it captures the vibrant atmosphere of the Bright Hall and offers a glimpse into how courtiers attended to the Throne—a portrayal of a unified central government during a flourishing era of the Song Dynasty. It was a joyful world akin to Heaven.

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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