قصيدة القصر (薛逢) / Palace Poem (Xue Feng)

قصيدة القصر (薛逢) / Palace Poem (Xue Feng)

In the twelve towers, all adorn themselves at dawn;

From the Tower of Immortal Hope they gaze toward the king.

The chain is cold upon the gilded beast's locked jaws;

Drip by drip, the bronze dragon marks the long day's hours.

Cloud-coiffed, she sets down her comb and faces the mirror once more;

Her silk robe to be changed, she adds yet another layer of incense.

From afar she watches where the main hall's curtains part—

Trousers-clad palace women sweeping the imperial bed.