For a Harmonious Unicorn Virtue Banquet of One Hundred Colleagues, by Imperial order
- Poetry of Bao Junhui

《奉和麟德殿宴百僚应制》
For a Harmonious Unicorn Virtue Banquet of One Hundred Colleagues, by Imperial order by Bao Junhui
中文原文( Chinese )

睿泽先寰海，功成殿武韶。

戈鋋清外垒，文物盛中朝。

圣祚山河固，宸章日月昭。

玉筵鸾鹄集，仙管凤凰调。

御柳新低绿，宫莺乍啭娇。

愿将亿兆庆，千祀奉神尧。

English Translation

Foremost in the world for brilliant foresight.

Achieving success in martial excellence.

Weapons just and bright before the ramparts.

A cultured treasure flourishing at court.

Eminent, strong blessing to all the land.

Always illustrious before the throne.

From your jade mat, your arrow strikes the roc.

Your immortal harmonies govern the phoenix.

Imperial willows, sprouting new deep green.

Palace warblers, singing their first bright songs.

General, we celebrate you beyond measure

And make one thousand offerings to the spirit of Yao.

This is obviously a formulaic poem produced by order of the throne to celebrate and honor a returning victor. Emperor Dezong started out well and went downhill throughout his reign. He struggled with many rebellions and caused as many, through poor judgement, as he put down.

- Last updated: 2024-10-31 17:25:38
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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.

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