The Sui Palace: Regulated Verse
The capital’s palace lies locked amid mist and rosy cloud;
He wished to make Wucheng another imperial home.
Had the imperial seal not passed to the new ruler,
His brocade sails might have travelled to the edge of the world.
Now among the decaying grasses there are no fireflies;
Through the ages evening crows gather in the hanging willows.
If underground he met the last ruler of Chen,
How could he ask again for the song of the Later Court?
Notes
The capital palace contrasts with Wucheng near present-day Yangzhou. The imperial seal passing to a new ruler signifies dynastic change; brocade sails evoke imperial travel. An old belief associated fireflies with decaying grass. The final couplet imagines a meeting with the last ruler of Chen and refers to a court song.
Meaning
The poem reflects on the fall of the Sui through palace, imperial travel and desolate landscape, ending with an imagined meeting between rulers of fallen dynasties.
Appreciation
The opening contrasts the capital palace with the southern imperial residence.
Read the full appreciationCollapse
The brocade sails reaching the world’s edge are a hypothetical exaggeration, not a recorded itinerary.
Absent fireflies and present crows contrast changing times; the old belief about fireflies belongs to its historical context.
An imagined meeting and a court-song allusion close the reflection; the four-line poem with the same title is a separate work.
About the poet
Li Shangyin (c. 813–c. 858), courtesy name Yishan, was a late Tang poet. His family came from the area of present-day Qinyang, Henan; accounts of his dates differ.
Read about the poetCollapse
He served in regional offices and wrote works including The Patterned Zither and poems titled Untitled.
Readers differ on the addressee of Night Rain Sent North and the specific meaning of Chang’e.