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Gazing Between Spring Showers at the Pavilion Way from Penglai to Xingqing [Palaces], Respectfully Matching by Imperial Command the Emperor’s Poem, Wang Wei
The River Wei, coiled naturally around Qin Stronghold, bends.
Mt. Huanglu, wound since ancient times ’round the Han Palace, slopes.
His Highness’ carriage, which left the willows of the thousand doors,
Returned Pavilion Way to see the Upper Garden flowers.
Within the clouds, the capital city’s pair of phoenix towers—
Inside the rain, the springtime trees’ ten-thousand households—
By chariot through sunny skies go celebrate the season.
It’s not that the palace enjoys sightseeing, but the flowery things.
奉和圣制从蓬莱向兴庆阁道中留春雨中春望之作应制
渭水自萦秦塞曲，
黄山旧绕汉宫斜。
銮舆迥出千门柳，
阁道回看上苑花。
云里帝城双凤阙，
雨中春树万人家。
为乘阳气行时令，
不是宸游玩物华。
The emperor’s poem hasn’t survived, though another poem “matching” it has, by one Li Zheng, using the same rhyme words. The occasion was a sightseeing tour by Emperor Xuanzong, which puts this earlier than #178. Penglai, the legendary island of immortals in the eastern sea, is here a (highly flattering) alternate name for Daming Palace, and Xingqing (“celebrating prosperity”) was another imperial palace, connected to Daming by a boulevard. The main entrance to Daming was guarded by twin gate-towers decorated with phoenixes. Chang’an was on the south bank of the Wei, a tributary of the Yellow River, and the Qin Stronghold was the fortification on its east side. Idiom: the royal carriage is literally one pulled by horses decorated by bells used only by the emperor. The final “but” is interpretive.
Syntax of the first two lines matches the contortions of the original, a style I don’t associate with Wang Wei at all. I’m impressed, though, at how many synonyms for “imperial” he worked in.
—L.
The River Wei, coiled naturally around Qin Stronghold, bends.
Mt. Huanglu, wound since ancient times ’round the Han Palace, slopes.
His Highness’ carriage, which left the willows of the thousand doors,
Returned Pavilion Way to see the Upper Garden flowers.
Within the clouds, the capital city’s pair of phoenix towers—
Inside the rain, the springtime trees’ ten-thousand households—
By chariot through sunny skies go celebrate the season.
It’s not that the palace enjoys sightseeing, but the flowery things.
奉和圣制从蓬莱向兴庆阁道中留春雨中春望之作应制
渭水自萦秦塞曲，
黄山旧绕汉宫斜。
銮舆迥出千门柳，
阁道回看上苑花。
云里帝城双凤阙，
雨中春树万人家。
为乘阳气行时令，
不是宸游玩物华。
The emperor’s poem hasn’t survived, though another poem “matching” it has, by one Li Zheng, using the same rhyme words. The occasion was a sightseeing tour by Emperor Xuanzong, which puts this earlier than #178. Penglai, the legendary island of immortals in the eastern sea, is here a (highly flattering) alternate name for Daming Palace, and Xingqing (“celebrating prosperity”) was another imperial palace, connected to Daming by a boulevard. The main entrance to Daming was guarded by twin gate-towers decorated with phoenixes. Chang’an was on the south bank of the Wei, a tributary of the Yellow River, and the Qin Stronghold was the fortification on its east side. Idiom: the royal carriage is literally one pulled by horses decorated by bells used only by the emperor. The final “but” is interpretive.
Syntax of the first two lines matches the contortions of the original, a style I don’t associate with Wang Wei at all. I’m impressed, though, at how many synonyms for “imperial” he worked in.
—L.