上元侍宴 Royal Banquet on Lantern Festival
- Julia Min
- Feb 20, 2025
- 1 min read
Royal Banquet on Lantern Festival
Chinese original: Su Shi (11th Century)
English version: Julia Min (Feb. 2025)
Gathered in Jianzhang Palace Hall,
The faint moon and stars begin to fall.
A gentle wind from the censer sends
A scent with only our Heaven lends.
Bright Hall sees courtiers craning heads,
—a red cloud tending Jade Palace’s steps.
For appreciation:
Su Shi composed this four-line, one-stanza poem (jueju 绝句) in response to the Emperor's request for a poem on a festive occasion. In 1093, he was called to the Court from Yangzhou. At that time, he served as the Minister of the Military Department and was newly appointed as the Minister of Rites.
As the Emperor's favoured courtier once more, he was experiencing a gratifying moment near the Throne. The poem is a simple piece of praise, yet it captures the vibrant atmosphere of the Bright Hall and offers a glimpse into how courtiers attended to the Throne—a portrayal of a unified central government during a flourishing era of the Song Dynasty. It unveils a joyful world akin to Heaven itself.
上元侍宴
原作: 苏轼（字子瞻, 号东坡居士; 11世纪北宋）
淡月疏星绕建章，
仙风吹下御炉香。
侍臣鹄立通明殿，
一朵红云捧玉皇。
reference:
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