An Early Audience at the Palace of Light Harmonizing Secretary Jia Zhi Poem
- Poetry of Wang Wei

《和贾舍人早朝大明宫之作》

中文原文( Chinese )

绛帻鸡人报晓筹，尚衣方进翠云裘。

九天阊阖开宫殿，万国衣冠拜冕旒。

日色才临仙掌动，香烟欲傍衮龙浮。

朝罢须裁五色诏，佩声归到凤池头。

English Translation

The red-capped Cock-Man has just announced morning;

The Keeper of the Robes brings Jade-Cloud Furs;

Heaven's nine doors reveal the palace and its courtyards;

And the coats of many countries bow to the Pearl Crown.

Sunshine has entered the giants' carven palms;

Incense wreathes the Dragon Robe:

The audience adjourns-and the five-coloured edict

Sets girdle-beads clinking toward the Lake of the Phoenix.

Seven-character-regular-verse

- Last updated: 2024-05-07 18:03:14

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