Her tears are spent, but no dreams come.
She can hear the others singing through the night.
She has lost his love. Alone with her beauty,
She leans till dawn on her incense-pillow.
Original Poem:
「宫词」
白居易
泪湿罗巾梦不成，夜深前殿按歌声。
红颜未老恩先断，斜倚熏笼坐到明。
Interpretation:
This poem writes about the grief of a disgraced courtesan and exposes the corruption and cruelty of palace life.
The first two lines: Tears wet the pillow and it is difficult to sleep, late at night the songs of other palaces are still ringing out.
An unfortunate courtesan, dressed up and looking forward to the king's favor, when it was already late at night, tears wet pillow, tossing and turning. Can not sleep, only to continue to hope, and the faint sound of singing from the front palace, but told the unfortunate courtesan, the king will not come tonight, he is in the front of the palace to have fun.
The last two lines: the red face has not yet aged has lost the king's favor, leaning against the smoked cage until dawn.
This song will eventually turn into tears, implying that the unfortunate courtesan's today is the other courtesans' tomorrow. The king favors thousands of people, but the courtesan's thoughts are only for the king. Since she can't sleep, she leans on the incense burner to keep warm while letting the fragrance moisten her skin and robes, and she can continue to wait for the king's arrival. Visible, the courtesan still have a trace of fantasy. Unexpectedly, the unfortunate courtesan sat there until dawn, but still could not see the king's shadow, and her fantasy was completely shattered.
The whole poem combines the structure of reality and fiction, and the language is subtle and deep-rooted, which expresses the deep-seated resentment in her heart.
Poem translator:
Kiang Kanghu
About the poet:
Bai Juyi (白居易), 772-846 AD, was originally from Taiyuan, then moved to Weinan in Shaanxi. Bai Juyi was the most prolific poet of the Tang Dynasty, with poems in the categories of satirical oracles, idleness, sentimentality, and miscellaneous rhythms, and the most influential poet after Li Bai Du Fu.
