A Song of the Spring Palace
- Poetry of Wang Changling

《春宫怨》
A Song of the Spring Palace by Wang Changling
English Translation

Last night, while a gust blew peach-petals open

And the moon shone high on the Palace Beyond Time,

The Emperor gave Pingyang, for her dancing,

Brocades against the cold spring-wind.

The poet writes of a "spring palace lament," but from where does the lament arise? From the forgotten one of old. The woman who was once favored perhaps now sits alone in the cold palace, gazing at the bright moon before the Weiyang Palace, hearing the news of the new favorite's ascendance. She does not appear, but her presence permeates the entire poem. This poem is written for those forgotten by power, and for all who, outside the clamor of history, bear their fate alone.

中文原文( Chinese )

昨夜风开露井桃，未央前殿月轮高。

平阳歌舞新承宠，帘外春寒赐锦袍。

Pre： Poems on Army Life IV
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.
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