Royal Banquet on Lantern Festival
- Poetry of Su Shi

《上元侍宴》
Royal Banquet on Lantern Festival by Su Shi
English Translation

Gathered around Palace Jianzhang,

The moon and stars begin to fade.

A gentle wind down the censer sends

A scent with only Heaven it associates.

At Bright Hall courtiers craned their heads,

like a red cloud tending Palace of Jade.

Su Shi crafted this 4-line, one stanza poem (jueju 绝句) in response to the Emperor's request for a poem on a festive occasion. In 1093, he was called to the Court from Yangzhou. At that time, he served as the Minister of the Military Department and was newly appointed as the Minister of Rite.

As the Emperor's favored courtier once more, he was experiencing a gratifying moment near the Throne. The poem is a simple piece of praise, yet it captures the vibrant atmosphere of the Bright Hall and offers a glimpse into how courtiers attended to the Throne—a portrayal of a unified central government during a flourishing era of the Song Dynasty. It was a joyful world akin to Heaven.

中文原文( Chinese )

淡月疏星绕建章，仙风吹下御炉香。

侍臣鹄立通明殿，一朵红云捧玉皇。

- Last updated: 2025-04-29 13:59:08
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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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