The Jade Pool
At the Jade Pool, the Queen Mother opens her ornate window;
The song of Yellow Bamboo sounds with earth-shaking grief.
Eight fine horses could travel thirty thousand li a day:
Why, then, does King Mu not return again?
Notes
The Jade Pool and the Queen Mother belong to traditions about King Mu of Zhou. Yellow Bamboo refers to a song associated with him. The eight horses and their extraordinary daily distance are legendary, not a measured journey.
Meaning
Drawing on the legend of King Mu and the Queen Mother, the poem asks why he never returns to the Jade Pool.
Appreciation
An opened window and a sorrowful song establish a legendary scene of waiting.
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The astonishing speed of the horses contrasts with the king’s failure to return.
The allusions invite historical readings, but interpretations of any specific later target differ.
The unanswered final question leaves the reader to consider absence and the passage of time.
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.
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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.