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lnhammerWe sweep the courtyard clean, and then the Gold Hall opens;
Holding our round fans, we pace back and forth.
My jade face isn’t even worth a jackdaw’s mug—
For that one can at least reach where the clear sun comes.
长信怨
奉帚平明金殿开，
且将团扇共徘徊。
玉颜不及寒鸦色，
犹带昭阳日影来。
This incorporates quotations from poems by Zhao Feiyan, a consort of Han Emperor Cheng, who though a great beauty of the imperial harem fell out of favor through court intrigue. The speaker is, like her, an imperial concubine and sunlight stands for the emperor’s favor. I render the first two lines as “we” because the pacing is done “together.”
---L.
Holding our round fans, we pace back and forth.
My jade face isn’t even worth a jackdaw’s mug—
For that one can at least reach where the clear sun comes.
长信怨
奉帚平明金殿开，
且将团扇共徘徊。
玉颜不及寒鸦色，
犹带昭阳日影来。
This incorporates quotations from poems by Zhao Feiyan, a consort of Han Emperor Cheng, who though a great beauty of the imperial harem fell out of favor through court intrigue. The speaker is, like her, an imperial concubine and sunlight stands for the emperor’s favor. I render the first two lines as “we” because the pacing is done “together.”
---L.