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In the “Jade Terrace” Style #12, Quan Deyu
Monday, 19 September 2022 08:06Thousands of leagues the traveler’s come—
Boudoir at night, she’s not asleep—
Paired-eyebrows puts the lantern out:
No need to sit before the mirror.
玉台体 之十二
万里行人至，
深闺夜未眠。
双眉灯下扫，
不待镜台前。
(Skipping #11 because I already translated it.) And the lady’s lonely no more. A “paired-eyebrows” is a beautiful woman.
And that’s the set. I was disappointed that more than half were “lonely lady” poems, several of them rather slight, but there’s some wit, here and there, and only occasional actual eroticism. The one picked up for 3TP really was one of the most interesting. I think this means I need to translate some actual Jade Terrace poems. Or some poems by actual courtesans.
---L.
Boudoir at night, she’s not asleep—
Paired-eyebrows puts the lantern out:
No need to sit before the mirror.
玉台体 之十二
万里行人至，
深闺夜未眠。
双眉灯下扫，
不待镜台前。
(Skipping #11 because I already translated it.) And the lady’s lonely no more. A “paired-eyebrows” is a beautiful woman.
And that’s the set. I was disappointed that more than half were “lonely lady” poems, several of them rather slight, but there’s some wit, here and there, and only occasional actual eroticism. The one picked up for 3TP really was one of the most interesting. I think this means I need to translate some actual Jade Terrace poems. Or some poems by actual courtesans.
---L.