Matching Lines in Guanpo Inn, Imperial Attendant Cui (and others)

A certain court eunuch lodged for the night at Guanpo Inn. Beneath the lantern, he saw three men arrive wearing old-fashioned clothing and caps. They all introduced themselves, and one said, “Imperial Attendant Cui has come to inquire, for just now someone has arrived at this cold and dismal place, yet there’s a feeling of departing on a long journey concealed in him—that’s what Imperial Attendant Cui (would like to know about).” They lifted up wine and composed a poem, each line in succession, rapidly ending with Imperial Attendant Cui’s words. When the court eunuch invited them to rise up together as a group of four, they gazed mournfully at him, moaned, and then departed.

The brocade quilt that’s on the bed—patches lapping patches.
The crimson robes upon the rack—dark-red lapping dark-red.
The moon’s distinct in the empty courtyard—later ever later.
The road’s remote as night grows long—mountains lapping mountains.

官坡馆联句
作者：崔常侍
〈有中官宿官坡馆，灯下见有三人至，皆古衣冠，相谓，曰：“崔常侍来何，迟俄有一人续至凄凄，然有离别之意盖，崔常侍也。”举酒赋诗聮句末即，崔常侍之词也。
中官将起四人相，顾哀，啸而别。〉
床头锦衾班复班，
架上朱衣殷复殷。
空庭朗月闲复闲，
夜长路远山复山。


Another matching lines game, ha ha—with the bonus that this one I think works nicely as an actual poem. Guanpo means “the official slants,” which makes me think of a place where government employees drink till they’re tipping over. I do wonder what sort of long journey the court eunuch recently started on (I assume he is on one, as ghosts universally tend to be correct in these sorts of observations) and how he thinks these three presumptive allies will help him rise up the ranks.

Textual note: the headnote’s punctuation is my own (usually I’ve been able to find a text that has already supplied it, but not this time—punctuation being a modern innovation).

—L.