To My Friend at The Capital Secretary Pei

Finches flash yellow through the Imperial Grove
Of the Forbidden City, pale with spring dawn;
Flowers muffle a bell in the Palace of Bliss
And rain has deepened the Dragon Lake willows;
But spring is no help to a man bewildered,
Who would be like a cloud upholding the Light of Heaven,
Yet whose poems, ten years refused, are shaming
These white hairs held by the petalled pin. 

Original Poem:

《赠阙下裴舍人》
二月黄莺飞上林，春城紫禁晓阴阴。
长乐钟声花外尽，龙池柳色雨中深。
阳和不散穷途恨，霄汉长怀捧日心。
献赋十年犹未遇，羞将白发对华簪。

Interpretation:

This poem was written during the author’s defeat in the imperial court, and was dedicated to the Chinese scholar named Pei. In the Tang Dynasty, the officials around the emperor were the General Secretary, the Secretary of the Residence, and the Secretary of the Central Secretariat. These “courtiers” had to follow the emperor around every day and ask about confidential matters, so their actual power was very wide.

At the beginning of this poem, the poet does not cut to the chase, but paints a gorgeous picture of the spring scene in the palace garden, as if without thinking: in early spring, in February, in the Shanglin Garden, orioles fly in flocks and chase each other; in the Forbidden City, spring is in full bloom, and at dawn, amidst the lush trees, a light spring shade is sprinkled. The bells of Changle Palace flew over the palace walls, floated into the air, and slowly scattered beyond the flowering trees. The dragon pond, where Emperor Xuanzong once lived, has millions of willows, which look more and more verdant in the light rain.

The scenery here is all about the imperial palace and the pavilions. It is not for the sake of writing scenery, but the poet’s purpose is to highlight the special status of Pei Sheren in the “scenery language”. As Pei She Ren followed the imperial carriage and served in the imperial residence, he was able to see the scenery of the palace garden that ordinary officials could not see. When the emperor went to Shanglin Yuan, Pei Sheren saw the early warblers in Shanglin Yuan; when the emperor was in the Forbidden City, Pei Sheren saw the dawn colors of the imperial city; when Pei Sheren drafted the edict, he heard the soothing sound of the bell in Changle Palace; and the changing colors of the willow in Longchi and its dense green in the rain, naturally Pei Sheren was also familiar with. All four scenes are hidden to make people see the shadow of Pei Sheren. It can be seen that although not a single word mentions Pei Sheren positively, but actually every sentence is complimenting Pei Sheren. It is full of compliments, but without showing any traces.

The poet then turns to the theme of requesting invocation. In the neck line, the poet’s self-inflicted injury shows that the sorrowful clouds are hard to be dispersed. The last line, following the previous line, continues with the hatred of the “poor way”. “The word “ten” in “Ten years have not yet been met” is an imaginary reference, but it is also a very long time. According to this logic, the next line should be a sigh of relief, but the poet feels sorry for himself, using the word “shame” to ease the situation. This last line is very clever. On the one hand, it expresses his intention to ask Pei to quote him; on the other hand, it expresses his admiration and compliments to the scholar wearing a Chinese hairpin. Although this line is very euphemistic, the poet’s feeling of “asking for a house in a field” is expressed in a detailed and subtle way.

This poem expresses a kind of compliment and request for assistance throughout, but it seems to be very subtle and twisted, although it is a compliment, because of the use of “scenic language”, it does not feel vulgar. This shows Qian Qi’s skillful artistry. The whole poem is rich and refined, but not too ornate.

About Author:

Qian Qi (钱起, 722-780 A.D.)was a poet of the Tang Dynasty, Han nationality, and a native of Wuxing (now Huzhou City, Zhejiang Province), who was one of the “Ten Talents of the Dali” and the “Champion of the Ten Talents of the Dali”. In his early years, he was unsuccessful in several examinations, but finally he was admitted as a scholar in 751 AD.

Poem translator:

Kiang Kanghu