A Spring Night in the Left Secretariat
Flowers lie in shadow by the palace wall at dusk;
Chattering birds pass on their way to roost.
Stars seem to move above countless palace doors;
Moonlight spreads high beside the heavens.
Sleepless, I listen for the sound of golden keys;
In the wind I imagine the jade ornaments on horses.
Tomorrow I have a sealed memorial to present;
Again and again I ask how much of the night remains.
Notes
The Left Secretariat was a Tang court office. Golden keys suggest palace gates; jade ornaments are associated with horses and court processions. A sealed memorial is a document to be presented to the ruler. “Repeatedly” uses the reading shuo.
Meaning
Keeping a night watch at court, the poet hears birds and palace sounds beneath the stars, unable to sleep before presenting a memorial the next day.
Appreciation
Flowers and roosting birds lead the palace scene from dusk into night.
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Stars and moonlight broaden the view above the walls.
Keys and horse ornaments make the sleepless listener attentive to sound.
Only at the end does the memorial explain the repeated concern with passing time.
About the poet
Du Fu (712–770), courtesy name Zimei, was a major Tang poet.
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His poetry records personal experience and the upheaval of his age, including the An Lushan rebellion.
He lived in Kuizhou in later years; his works include Spring View and Ascending the Heights.