Song of the Spring Palace
Last night the wind opened peach blossoms by the uncovered well;
High above Weiyang’s front hall hangs the moon.
A singer and dancer from Pingyang has newly won favour;
In the spring chill beyond the curtain, a brocade robe is bestowed.
Notes
An uncovered well stands in the open. Weiyang was a Han palace; Pingyang evokes women who performed in Princess Pingyang’s household. A brocade robe marks imperial favour. The poem uses a Han setting and allows different readings of its implied meaning.
Meaning
A spring palace scene moves from peach blossoms and moonlight to a newly favoured performer receiving a robe.
Appreciation
Peach blossoms and moonlight establish a spring night at the palace.
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The gift of a robe makes favour visible through one small detail.
Some readings infer the loneliness of others at court from the new favourite’s position; that feeling is suggested rather than explicitly stated.
The Han setting provides context without making every poetic detail a documented event.
About the poet
Wang Changling, courtesy name Shaobo, was a Tang poet known for seven-character quatrains on frontier life, farewells and friendship. His exact dates are disputed.
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Life: Wang served in official posts and spent time away from the capital; sources differ on his exact dates.
Works: Beyond the Frontier and Farewell to Xin Jian at Hibiscus Tower are among his best-known poems.