Three Poems Presented to His Majesty on Visiting Xinfeng and Warmsprings Palace II
- Poetry of Shangguan Wan'er

《驾幸新丰温泉宫献诗三首·其二》

- Last updated: 2024-06-19 11:20:59

中文原文

鸾旂掣曳拂空回，羽骑骖驔蹑景来。

隐隐骊山云外耸，迢迢御帐日边开。

English Translation

Wind-rattled phoenix pennons turn brushing through the sky,

Shaggy-hoofed steeds of the horse guard come stamping beams of light.

Mount Li lies sunk in shadow,

jutting beyond the clouds,

While far in the distance the royal tent opens beside the sun.

This image plays on the name of one of the First Emperor Qin Shihuang's famous horses, “Light-Stamper.”

This describes the imperial guard surrounding the emperor, the embodiment of the sun.

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.

List of Chinese poets