Palace Lyric, Zhu Qingyu (Tang Shi #287)

[lnhammer]

Lonely and hushed in flower season, the courtyard gate is closed.
Beautiful women side by side stand on the fine veranda.
They want to speak their inner feelings about these palace matters,
But here before a parrot they don’t dare say a word.

宫词
寂寂花时闭院门，
美人相并立琼轩。
含情欲说宫中事，
鹦鹉前头不敢言。

In case you were wondering about the stifling atmosphere of historical dramas set in the women’s quarters, some contemporary evidence.

—L.