The Gold-Threaded Robe
English translation and interpretation are being reviewed.
劝君惜取少年时。
花开堪折直须折，
莫待无花空折枝。
English translation
I urge you not to prize the robe of golden thread; I urge you to prize the season of your youth.
When the flower opens and is fit to pluck, then you must pluck it; do not wait until no flowers are left, and pluck a bare branch.
Meaning
I urge you not to set too much store on the pursuit of rank and profit; prize instead the best years of your youth for study. When the flowers are ready to be plucked, pluck them while you may; do not wait until the blossoms have fallen and you can only break off a bare branch.
Background
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The author of this song lyric can no longer be traced, and its exact date is unknown. It is a popular lyric of the mid-Tang period. It is said that Li Qi, the military governor of Zhenhai during the Yuanhe era, was devoted to this lyric and often had his concubine Du Qiuniang sing it at banquets (see Du Mu's "Poem on Du Qiuniang" and his own notes to it). Some Tang anthologies assign it outright to Du Qiuniang or to Li Qi, which is inaccurate.