Replying to Jia's Poem on the Dawn Audience at Daming Palace
English translation and interpretation are being reviewed.
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，
佩声归向凤池头。
English translation
The cock-herald in his red headband announces the dawn count, the Master of the Robes presents the kingfisher-cloud fur.
The gates of the nine heavens open upon the palace, the caps and gowns of ten thousand lands bow to the crowned one.
The sun's light has just touched the immortal's palm, and it stirs, the incense smoke clings to the dragon-embroidered robe.
When court is done you must cut the five-colored edict, your pendants chiming, you turn back toward Phoenix Pool.
Meaning
The guards in red kerchiefs announce the dawn at the palace gate, and the officer of the imperial wardrobe presents to the Son of Heaven a fur robe patterned with green clouds.
Layer upon layer the palaces open out like the ninefold gates of heaven, and the envoys of all the foreign states kneel together in audience before the emperor.
The sun has just reached the hall, and the guard of honor has formed a fan-shaped screen; the incense rises from the imperial censer and drifts about the emperor's dragon robe.
When the morning audience is over, the officials of the Secretariat withdraw to the Phoenix Pool and draft the imperial edicts on five-colored paper.
Background
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Jia Zhi (718–772) was a Tang official who served at court as a drafter in the Secretariat; he wrote a poem, "An Audience at Dawn at the Great Luminous Palace," which drew much attention in its day. Du Fu, Cen Shen, Wang Wei, and others all wrote poems in response to it, and this is one of those matching poems.