West Palace, Autumn
- Poetry of Wang Changling
《西宫秋怨》
English Translation
The lotus, for all its hue, is less than her adorning;
The wind from the lake‑house is scented with jade at morning.
Yet she, her thought brim‑full, will lay the summer fan aside —
The bright moon hangs, and waits, with nothing left to bide.
Wang Changling lived during the High Tang period, the golden age of classical Chinese poetry and a time when "palace complaint" poetry flourished. Emperor Xuanzong's harem housed thousands of beauties; many women spent their entire lives without ever catching a glimpse of the emperor. Their youth, beauty, and deep affection were locked behind the high walls of the deep palace, eventually turning into endless waiting and lament.
中文原文( Chinese )
芙蓉不及美人妆，水殿风来珠翠香。
却恨含情掩秋扇，空悬明月待君王。
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- 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.
Famous Chinese Poems
- West Palace, Autumn
- Hearing the River-Song
- The Lotus Gatherers
- In a Monk’s Cell
- Gazing at Lake Dongting
- Eastern Hamlet, Northern Slope
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