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lnhammerFlowers hide by evening walls,
Chirping birds go to their perches,
Stars shine, ten-thousand households stir,
Moon brightens near the highest heaven.
Sleepless, I hear the golden doors—
Wind makes me think of bridle jades.
Come dawn, I’ll have reports to write,
Yet I keep asking, “What’s night like?”
春宿左省
花隐掖垣暮，
啾啾栖鸟过。
星临万户动，
月傍九霄多。
不寝听金钥，
因风想玉珂。
明朝有封事，
数问夜如何。
Written after he escaped Chang’an and joined Suzong’s government as Reminder of the Left (see #99). The courtyard in question was on the left=east side of the palace, where Chancellery offices were—IOW, Du Fu as a minor official is doing his stint on the overnight shift. Idiom: the highest heaven is literally “ninth heaven,” and which is also a term for the palace itself. If understood that way, you can read the flowers as symbolizing Du Fu, the birds as higher-rank officials who can go home, and the households, which is literally “doors,” as palace activities. Mistranslation: the doors, understood as being those of the palace, are literally “locks” or “keys.” The bridle jades, understood to be clinking, are bells on the tack of imperial horses. “What’s night like?” is usually understood as asking “How long’s the night?” or “How much longer is the night?” It’s also possible to read that he’s asking the night directly, “How much longer?”
---L.
Chirping birds go to their perches,
Stars shine, ten-thousand households stir,
Moon brightens near the highest heaven.
Sleepless, I hear the golden doors—
Wind makes me think of bridle jades.
Come dawn, I’ll have reports to write,
Yet I keep asking, “What’s night like?”
春宿左省
花隐掖垣暮，
啾啾栖鸟过。
星临万户动，
月傍九霄多。
不寝听金钥，
因风想玉珂。
明朝有封事，
数问夜如何。
Written after he escaped Chang’an and joined Suzong’s government as Reminder of the Left (see #99). The courtyard in question was on the left=east side of the palace, where Chancellery offices were—IOW, Du Fu as a minor official is doing his stint on the overnight shift. Idiom: the highest heaven is literally “ninth heaven,” and which is also a term for the palace itself. If understood that way, you can read the flowers as symbolizing Du Fu, the birds as higher-rank officials who can go home, and the households, which is literally “doors,” as palace activities. Mistranslation: the doors, understood as being those of the palace, are literally “locks” or “keys.” The bridle jades, understood to be clinking, are bells on the tack of imperial horses. “What’s night like?” is usually understood as asking “How long’s the night?” or “How much longer is the night?” It’s also possible to read that he’s asking the night directly, “How much longer?”
---L.
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Date: 3 February 2022 17:37 (UTC)