Three by Empress Wu Zetian

[larryhammer]

Three poems by Empress Wu Zetian—yes, the patron of Shangguan Wan’er, who was rumored in her lifetime to have ghost-written poems attributed to imperial family members. Given the personal nature, I’m inclined to think the last of these is empress’s as ascribed. Both that and the second are composed in a similar style using couplets with tight sematic parallels, though in rather different tenors.


Characters on the Official’s Gown Bestowed to Di Renjie

Applier of official skills,
Defender honest, diligent:
Ascend to a high-rank post,
Encourage fellow ministers.

制袍字赐狄仁杰
敷政术，
守清勤。
升显位，
励相臣。

Written for Di Renjie aka the basis for Judge Dee aka the basis for Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame. The bestowal was in 696, on the occasion of his promotion to military commandant of a prefecture encompassing what’s now Beijing, then a frontier post. The characters were written in gold (presumably embroidered) on his purple official’s robe. (The original, btw, is not rhymed.)


Roaming Nine-Dragon Pool

Through mountain windows, roaming jade women;
As the stream’s door, facing jasper peaks.
On the cliff top, two phoenixes soar;
In the pool’s heart, nine dragons lie.
Amidst the wine float bamboo leaves;
Above the cups place lotus flowers:
Thus I confirm this house’s mountain gift—
But wind’s still blowing through the pines.

游九龙潭
山窗游玉女，
涧户对琼峰。
岩顶翔双凤，
潭心倒九龙。
酒中浮竹叶，
杯上写芙蓉。
故验家山赏，
惟有风入松。

The occasion was a pleasure trip by the Empress and her daughter, Princess Taiping (who appear in the poem as the phoenixes—the jade women would be their entourage). Wordplay: when window and door (from the first two lines) are put together, they are an idiom for house (as in line seven). Imageplay: the leaves in the wine match the appearance of the dragons in the pool (this seems to be the associative connection linking the two middle couplets). The shift in focus from wide to narrow to interior is striking, especially with that introspective last line.


Accompanying an Imperial Visit to Shaolin Temple

Seeing the place my deceased mother supported, the lonely feelings I bear multiply, making me dismal, as I recall my longings for her. Thus I composed [this] to express my sorrow:

I tour with his highness the restricted yard,
Granted leave from the Orchid Gate.
The clouds recline, concealing peaks;
A rose sky lowers, pierced by banners;
Sun Palace links to stream-side dwellings
And Moon Hall leads to cliff-top doors;
Golden wheels spin above golden earth,
In incensed halls sweep incensed robes;
Bells sound in a light puff of wind,
Pennons flap in a thin mist of drizzle.
Once these met a divine fire—
The mountains red above the fields.
Now Flower Terrace is half a shadow,
Though Lotus Tower retains its glory.
Truly we rely on good men of power
To help the Almighty perfect the world:
Compassion’s karma draws up good fortune.
But with this thought I exhaust my refuge:
A branch in the wind cannot be still—
For how could blood tears bring her back?

从驾幸少林寺
睹先妃营建之所，倍切茕衿，逾凄远慕，聊题既事，用述悲怀。
陪銮游禁苑
侍赏出兰闱
云偃攒峰盖
霞低插浪旗
日宫疏涧户
月殿启岩扉
金轮转金地
香阁曳香衣
铎吟轻吹发
幡摇薄雾霏
昔遇焚芝火
山红连野飞
花台无半影
莲塔有全辉
实赖能仁力
攸资善世威
慈缘兴福绪
于此罄归依
风枝不可静
泣血竟何追

Written between 670 (when her mother died) and 690 (when Zetian became emperor regnant). The “her” in the last line is supplied from the context of the headnote. The Orchid Gate is the entrance to the imperial women’s quarters. And yes, this is the famous Shaolin Temple, which is on Mt. Song somewhat downstream the Yellow River from the Chang’an capital.

Lost in translation: In the first line, 銮 (luán) is the most interesting metonymy for the emperor I’ve met so far—it’s literally the special bells on the horses that pull the imperial carriage. The “divine” fire is literally a type of tree mushroom supposed to have divine healing powers—er, yeah, IDK.

(Sources)

---L.

Index of Chinese translations

Comments

[thawrecka]

Ooh, I really like that last one.

[larryhammer]

So do I.

[sartorias]

Reading this made me think you might like the brilliant scene in Joy of Life, a sfnal historical series with magic from China. There's this scene that features the poetry of Du Fu that is one of the best I have EVER seen on tv.

[larryhammer]

The scene is awesome in the novel it’s based on, and I’ve been wondering how the drama handles it.

[sartorias]

It's transcendent. This series, like Nirvana in Fire, I think is far superior to the novel. It clears out the underbrush and meandering, sharpens the focus, and heightens the wheels within wheels. The performances are stellar.

[larryhammer]

I should try to find the time to watch it.

[sartorias]

I found it way better than the (translation of) the book.

[oracne]

We should all have poetry embroidered on our clothes.

[larryhammer]

I’m down with that!