Wang Wei: Luoyang Ladies’ Life Journeys
洛 阳 儿 行
洛 阳 儿 对 门 居
才 可 颜 容 十 五 馀。
良 人 玉 勒 乘 骢 马
侍 金 盘 脍 鲤 渔。
画 阁 朱 楼 尽 相 望
红 桃 绿 柳 垂 檐 向。
罗 帷 送 上 七 香 车
宝 扇 迎 归 九 华 帐。
框 夫 富 贵 在 青 春
意 气 骄 奢 剧 李 伦。
自 怜 碧 玉 亲 教 舞
不 异 珊 瑚 持 与 人。
春 窗 曙 灭 九 微 火
九 微 片 片 飞 花 琐。
戏 罢 曾 无 理 曲 时
妆 成 只 是 薰 香 坐。
城 中 相 识 尽 繁 华
日 夜 经 过 赵 李 家。
谁 怜 越 颜 如 玉
贫 贱 江 头 自 涣 纱。
Luo Yang Nu Er Xing
Luo yang nu er dui men ju
Cai ke yan rong shi wu yu
Liang ren yu lei cheng cong ma
Shi nu jin pan kuai li yu
Hua ge zhu lou jin xiang wang
Hong tao lu liu chui yan xiang
Luo wei song shang qi xiang che
Bao shan ying gui jiu hua zhang.
Kuang fu fu gui zai qing chun
Yi qi jiao she ju li lun
Zi lian bi yu qin jiao wu
Bu yi shan hu chi yu ren
Chun chuang shu mie jiu wei huo
Jiu wei pian pian fei hua suo
Xi ba ceng wu li qu shi
Zhuang cheng zhi shi xun xiang zuo
Cheng zhong xiang shi jin fan hua
Ri ye jing guo zhao li jia
Shei lian yue nu yan ru yu
Pin jian jiang tou zi huan sha.
Luoyang Ladies’ Life Journeys
Two Luoyang ladies, with houses facing each other
Both talented, beautiful, with faces of young maidens.
One marries, her husband’s fine horses dressed in jade
She is waited upon with gold plates of finely-sliced meat and fish.
Living quarters painted in bright reds, in a compound of many buildings
Red peach and green willow branches hang down near the eaves.
Layered silk gauze curtains adorn her seven fragrance carriage
Received with crossed fans to the radiant and many-splendorous canopy.
The wild and wealthy husband inherited his rank and honor as a young man
His excessive desires and arrogant manners like the dramatic Jiluan.
The other girl’s family treasures their pretty daughter like green jade and teaches her the arts
Though not the same strange coral as given to some people.
From their spring window at daybreak, see the fading oil lamps from the neighbor’s all night party
Many tiny, very thin humble flowers fly.
Without recognition for rehearsal times, once the play finishes
The make-up done and the sweet-flower fragrances begin to sag.
From the middle of the city wall, where the wealthiest live
Day and night she passes by the houses of Zhao and Li.
Who can sympathize with this lady whose face is like jade
Yet now at the river head, washing inexpensive and common cotton cloth.
Notes:
Jinluan: He was a governor during the Eastern Jin dynasty (265-420 AD). He was very rich, with all of the trappings of imperial royalty, yet gained his wealth and power through terror and intimidation. One story stated that a relative of the emperor was trying to prove he was the richest man. In desperation the emperor’s relative borrowed a large piece of deep-sea coral from the emperor and presented it to Jinluan as a final bid. During ancient times coral was very valuable and rare. But Jinluan outdid him by producing much more coral. Coral obtained through sea piracy.