[updated September 2022]
White-Haired Shangyang Palace Lady
上 阳 白 发 人
上 阳 人, 上 阳 人
红 颜 暗 老 白 发 新。
绿 衣 监 使 守 宫 门
一 闭 上 阳 多 少 春。
玄 宗 未 岁 处 选 入
入 时 十 六 今 六 十。
同 时 采 择 百 余 人
零 落 年 深 残 此 身。
忆 昔 吞 悲 别 亲 族
扶 入 车 中 不 教 哭。
皆 云 入 内 便 承 恩
脸 似 芙 蓉 胸 似 玉。
未 容 君 王 得 见 面
已 被 杨 妃 遥 侧 目。
妒 令 潜 配 上 阳 宫
一 生 逐 向 空 房 宿。
宿 空 房，秋 夜 长
夜 长 无 寐 天 不 明。
耿 耿 残 灯 背 壁 影
萧 萧 暗 雨 打 窗 声。
春 日 迟
日 迟 独 坐 天 难 暮
宫 莺 百 啭 愁 庆 闻
梁 燕 双 栖 老 休 妒。
莺 归 燕 去 长 悄 然
春 往 秋 来 不 记 年。
唯 向 深 宫 望 明 月
东 西 四 五 百 回 圆。
今 日 宫 中 年 最 老
大 家 遥 赐 尚 书 号。
小 头 鞋 履 窄 衣 裳
青 黛 点 眉 眉 细 长。
外 人 不 见 见 应 笑
天 宝 未 年 时 世 妆。
上 阳 人， 苦 最 多
少 亦 苦， 老 亦 苦。
少 苦 老 苦 两 如 何？
君 不 见 昔 时。
吕 向 美 人 赋
又 不 见 今 日
上 阳 白 发 歌！
Shang Yang Bai Fa Ren
Shang yang ren, shang yang ren
Hong yan an lao bai fa xin.
Lu yi jian shi shou gong men
Yi bi shang yang duo shao chun.
Xuan zong wei sui chu xuan ru
Ru shi shi liu jin liu shi.
Tong shi cai ze bai yu ren
Ling luo nian shen can ci shen.
Yi xi tun bei bie qin zu
Fu ru che zhong bu jiao ku.
Jie yun ru nei bian cheng en
Lian si fu rong xiong si yu.
Wei rong jun wang de jian mian
Yi bei yang fei yao ce mu.
Du ling qian pei shang yang gong
Yi sheng zhu xiang kong fang su.
Su kong fang, qiu ye chang
Ye chang wu mei tian bu ming.
Geng geng can deng bei bi ying
Xiao xiao an yu da chuang sheng.
Chun ri chi
Ri chi du zuo tian nan mu.
Gong ying bai zhuan chou qing wen
Liang yan shuang qi lao xiu du.
Ying gui yan qu chang qiao ran
Chun wang qiu lai bu ji nian.
Wei xiang shen gong wang ming yue
Dong xi si wu bai hui yuan.
Jin ri gong zhong nian zui lao
Da jia yao ci shang shu hao.
Xiao tou xie lu zhai yi chang
Qing dai dian mei mei xi chang.
Wai ren bu jian jian ying xiao
Tian bao wei nian shi shi zhuang.
Shang yang ren, ku zui duo
Shao yi ku, lao yi ku.
Shao ku lao ku liang ru he?
Jun bu jian xi shi
Lu xiang mei ren fu
You bu jian jin ri
Shang yang bai fa ge!
White-Haired Shangyang Palace Lady
Shangyang palace lady, Shangyang palace lady
Her young and shy red face has become old white hair.
Green clothes of palace guards surround palace entrances
How many springs and autumns has she been behind closed doors.
Came into the imperial palace at the end of Xuanzong’s reign
Entered at the age of sixteen, she is now sixty years old.
At the same time there were one hundred new maidens for the emperor to choose from
After all these years, they have withered and died, except for her.
Swallowing her sorrows, recalling the day she left her family and friends
Loading her into the carriage, they implored her not to cry.
All told her that once inside the palace look pretty and kind
And that you face like lotus flowers, and a chest like jade.
Who knew she would be able to see him directly
Early on, Yang Guifei feared that she and her looked too much alike.
Envious, Yang sent her quickly away to be buried within the Shangyang palace
All her life she spent here in empty seclusion.
First autumn evenings she was in an empty room
All night not sleeping during the dark nights.
Only one bright lantern that threw shadows onto the walls
Sounds of a rustling wind and dark rain hitting the windows.
Spring days slowly pass
Spent whole days watching dark skies until sunset.
With melancholy, hated listening to the one hundred chirping palace orioles
She was envious of a pair of perching swallows on the roof beam.
Orioles and swallows go back home to leave her in silence
Lost count of how many springs and autumns passed away.
Deep in the palace, she only gazed into the distance at the bright moons
In all, she observed four to five hundred lunar cycles.
Today she is the oldest palace lady
At sixty, the subsequent emperor honored her with a name of nobility.
She still wears narrow skirts and small-toed shoes
Old-style black eyeliner and long eyebrows.
If seen by outsiders, they would laugh at her
Late reign of Emperor Xuanzong styles and society now outdated.
Shangyang palace lady cried buckets
When young she cried, when old she cried a lot too.
How do the few and old both suffer?
One cannot see the former days
Also do not see today Lu Xiang who chose the pretty ladies and caused her suffering
Shangyang white-haired lady song!
Notes:
Shangyang: Imperial palace inside the ancient capital city of Chang’an (Xi’an).
Emperor Xuanzong: (685-762) (r. 713-756) Emperor who reigned during the so-called Golden Ages of the Tang Dynasty.
Yang Guifei: Favorite lady of Emperor Xuanzong that was famous for being instrumental in bringing down an empire.
Lu Xiang: A man who worked inside Xuanzong’s palace as a concubine recruiter.