The swallows' twitter seems to grieve over the lost spring;
To dust have returned palace flowers on the wing.
Since the overthrown dynasty closed its splendid scene,
They have come many times but nobody is seen.
Original Poem:
「隋宫燕」
李益
燕语如伤旧国春，宫花一落已成尘。
自从一闭风光后，几度飞来不见人。
Interpretation:
This poem expresses the poet's sigh for the vicissitudes of life and the decline of the Sui dynasty, the emperor reigned for thirteen years, three long trips to Yangzhou, Jiangsu Province, spending a lot of civil and financial resources to build the palace, after the death of the country, the palace became a symbol of the emperor's autocratic corruption, obsessed with sex.
The first two lines: Swallow murmuring sound, as if in the sadness of the old spring of the court, the palace flower lonely open, withered and then turned into mud and dust.
The swallows, who have witnessed the great events of the Sui Palace, are murmuring in pairs, as if they are sad about the lost dynasty. This sadness is caused by the scene in front of me, at this time of spring to the Sui Palace, only that does not understand the matter of the palace flowers are still in full bloom, but also faded in the blink of an eye, into the soil, really blossoms and falls no one asked. Moreover, this scene has not been a year or two, swallows are still sentimental to this, not to mention the people.
The last two lines: since the country died, closed the beautiful scenery of the palace, swallows, ah, a few years to fly can not see people.
Of course, there is no such a sentimental and sentimental swallow in the world, but the reader does not think it is absurd, but seriously to appreciate it, savor it. Because it is false in the real, illusion in the real. Sui Palace did have a lively and prosperous spring, the swallows return, relative murmuring like words. Although the Sui Palace is now desolate and dilapidated, Sui Palace swallows still come every year as scheduled. The swallows build their nests in the mud, which reflects what they see in their eyes and what they feel in their hearts.
This is how the poet, through such careful observation and rich imagination, connects the decaying valor of the Sui Palace and the return of the swallows to their nests in spring, turning the characteristics and activities of the swallows into artistic images with ideological content, giving people a more beautiful, fresher and more affectionate artistic enjoyment.
Poem translator:
Xu Yuan-chong (许渊冲)
About the poet:
Li Yi (李益), 748-829 AD, a native of Wuwei in Gansu Province, was one of the “Ten Scholarly Men of the Dali Dynasty”, and is best known for his works on the border and the Plateau, especially for his seven-character stanzas. His poems had a harmonious rhythm and were sung by musicians at that time.
