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Palace Lyrics
Author: Bai Juyi
Poem Title: Palace Lyrics
Tears wet the silk handkerchief, dreams unfulfilled,
In the deep night, the front hall echoes with song.
Though beauty is not yet old, affection has already faded,
Leaning against the incense burner, sitting until dawn.
This poem was written by the Tang Dynasty poet Bai Juyi, expressing the loneliness and loss of a palace maid in the imperial harem.
"Tears wet the silk handkerchief, dreams unfulfilled" reflects the maid's sorrow and sleepless nights as her tears soak the silk handkerchief due to longing.
"In the deep night, the front hall echoes with song" indicates that even at this late hour, entertainment activities continue in the palace, with music resonating through the halls.
"Though beauty is not yet old, affection has already faded" suggests that despite her youth and beauty, she has lost the emperor's favor; "beauty" refers to her youthful appearance, while "affection" refers to the emperor's love.
"Leaning against the incense burner, sitting until dawn" portrays her solitary wait as she leans against an incense burner, which is a bamboo cage used to cover an incense burner for perfuming clothes and bedding.
The entire poem intricately depicts the desolate situation of a palace maid and her endless inner sorrow. The language is clear yet deeply emotional, flowing seamlessly while avoiding monotony, profoundly reflecting the complex and contradictory inner world of a maid who has fallen out of favor.
Story Title: Xiao Yi's Palace Adventure
I live in Chang'an City, dreaming of one day uncovering the secrets within the imperial palace.
One day, I came across an old poetry collection; flipping through its yellowed pages, I found Bai Juyi's "Palace Lyrics."
"Tears wet the silk handkerchief, dreams unfulfilled; late at night in the front hall, the sound of singing echoes. The beauty has not aged, yet love has already faded; leaning against the incense burner, she sits until dawn."
This poem tells the story of a palace maid who cannot sleep in the deep night, listening to the distant sounds of song and dance, quietly sitting through the long night until morning.
When I read this poem, I felt great pity for the maid, but I could not truly empathize with her loneliness. Until that day, when my father told me a story about "The Palace Poems."
"Xiao Yi, do you know how many palaces there are in the imperial palace?"
I shook my head.
"There are probably over a thousand."
"That many?" I gasped in surprise.
"But among so many palaces, most are empty; only a few have people living in them."
My father opened the poetry collection and pointed to the page of "The Palace Poems."
"This maid lives in this palace."
He pointed to the depicted group of palaces on the paper.
"This place was originally magnificent, but gradually, the emperor stopped coming, leaving only a few maids behind."
Following my father's finger, I saw that the painted palaces had flying eaves and ornate beams but appeared exceptionally desolate.
"That maid lives in the side hall on the left."
I looked where my father pointed and saw a small room. Besides a bed, a table, and a chair, it seemed to have nothing else.
"Isn't she very lonely?"
"Yes, she is very lonely. So every night she sits by the window, staring at the moon in a daze."
I imagined myself stepping into that poem and seeing the lonely maid. She leaned against the window, gazing at the solitary moon in the sky, just as she was alone.
"She really is so pitiful."
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