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Song of the Fair Women

By Du Fu Tang Dynasty
English Poetic Translation
On the third third day when the new weather clears,
by Chang'an waterside walk brilliant peers.
Their bearing rich and deep, true-hearted, rare;
fine-grained their skin, the bone and flesh aware.
Embroidered gauzes catch the late spring light,
with gold-wrought peacocks, qilin silver-bright.
And on their heads, what ornaments are shed?
Kingfisher pendants brush each delicate head.
Behind them, viewed along the flowing line,
pearl-weighted skirts contour the waist divine.
Among them move the kin of palace bowers,
bestowed with grand domains and noble dowers:
from turquoise cauldrons rich camel humps arise,
and crystal plates bear fish of silver dyes.
With ivory sticks, sated, they delay,
while carvers slice the feast and drift away.
Swift couriers speed without a stir of dust,
as palace kitchens yield what tables must.
Flutes and sad drums evoke ghost and spirit moan;
the thronging retinue commands the throne.
Then who arrives on horseback, lingering still,
to step from saddles where the carpets spill?
Willow-down snow covers the duckweed pond,
while messenger birds bear love-tokens beyond.
So blazing hot their power, none dare draw near—
beware the fierce prime minister's anger here.
Classical Chinese & Pinyin
三月三日天氣新，長安水邊多麗人。
態濃意遠淑且真，肌理細膩骨肉勻。
繡羅衣裳照暮春，蹙金孔雀銀麒麟。
頭上何所有，翠微㔩葉垂鬢脣。
背後何所見，珠壓腰衱穩稱身。
就中雲幕椒房親，賜名大國虢與秦。
紫駝之峯出翠釜，水精之盤行素鱗。
犀箸厭飫久未下，鑾刀縷切空紛綸。
黃門飛鞚不動塵，御廚絡繹送八珍。
簫鼓哀吟感鬼神，賓從雜遝實要津。
後來鞍馬何逡巡，當軒下馬入錦茵。
楊花雪落覆白蘋，青鳥飛去銜紅巾。
炙手可熱勢絕倫，慎莫近前丞相嗔。
sān yuè sān rì tiān qì xīn, cháng ān shuǐ biān duō lì rén.
tài nóng yì yuǎn shū qiě zhēn, jī lǐ xì nì gǔ ròu yún.
xiù luó yī shang zhào mù chūn, cù jīn kǒng què yín qí lín.
tóu shàng hé suǒ yǒu, cuì wēi shǎn yè chuí bìn chún.
bèi hòu hé suǒ jiàn, zhū yā yāo jiá wěn chèn shēn.
jiù zhōng yún mù jiāo fáng qīn, cì míng dà guó guó yǔ qín.
zǐ tuō zhī fēng chū cuì fǔ, shuǐ jīng zhī pán xíng sù lín.
xī zhù yàn yù jiǔ wèi xià, luán dāo lǚ qiē kōng fēn lún.
huáng mén fēi kòng bù dòng chén, yù chú luò yì sòng bā zhēn.
xiao gǔ āi yín gǎn guǐ shén, bīn cóng zá tà shí yào jīn.
hòu lái ān mǎ hé qūn xún, dāng xuān xià mǎ rù jǐn yīn.
yáng huā xuě luò fù bái pín, qīng niǎo fēi qū xián hóng jīn.
zhì shǒu kě rè shì jué lún, shèn mò jìn qián chéng xiàng chēn.
Philological Direct Translation
Third month third day weather fresh, Chang'an water side many fair women.
Demeanor rich intent distant refined yet true, skin fine delicate flesh bone balanced.
Embroidered gauze garments shine late spring, woven gold peacocks silver qilin.
Head upon what is there, kingfisher feather ornaments hang temple edges.
Back behind what is seen, pearls press waist skirts steady fit body.
Among them cloud screen empress quarters kin, bestowed titles great states Guo and Qin.
Purple camel hump emerges kingfisher cauldron, crystal plate circulates white scales.
Rhino chopsticks sated long not lowered, luan knives finely sliced vainly tangled.
Eunuch flying reins not moving dust, imperial kitchen continuous sends eight delicacies.
Flutes drums mournful chant move ghosts spirits, guests retainers bustling truly crucial posts.
Later arriving saddles horses how hesitant, facing veranda dismount enter brocade mats.
Willow flowers snow fall cover white duckweed, green bird flies away holding red handkerchief.
Scorching hand can heat power peerless, cautious do not approach prime minister anger.
Scholarly Exegesis & Cultural Commentary

I. Formal Poetic Architecture & Meter

This masterpiece belongs to the ancient music-bureau genre known as Old Style Verse. Unlike the tightly constrained regulated verse of the mid-Tang period, this work uses heptasyllabic lines with flexible tonal patterns and rhyming that shifts to capture the dynamic movement of the narrative. The acoustic landscape moves from bright, open-vowel rhymes depicting spring brilliance to darker, more ominous rhymes at the close, mirroring the psychological transformation of the poem from lighthearted spectacle to chilling political critique.

II. Historical Chronology & Existential Impulse

Composed in the eighth year of the Tianbao era during the Tang Dynasty, the poem captures the decadent height of imperial luxury surrounding the Yang clan, particularly the sisters of Imperial Consort Yang Yuhuan. Du Fu, then an impoverished scholar stranded in the capital seeking official patronage, observed the arrogant opulence of the ruling elite at the Serpentine River during the Spring Festival. The historical background reflects a court dominated by corrupt favorites and the powerful prime minister Yang Guozhong, whose unchecked hubris foreshadowed the catastrophic An Lushan Rebellion.

III. Line-by-Line Exegesis & Allusion Decoding

The poem unfolds through a vivid cinematic progression, moving outward from individual sensory details to grand aristocratic feasts, concluding with a warning regarding absolute political power.

  • Lines 1-2 (Opening Couplet): The poet establishes the vernal setting of the capital's waterways, where aristocratic women gather in throngs to celebrate the spring festival.
  • Lines 3-4 (First Antithetical Turn): Close-up descriptions of physical beauty, highlighting refined poise, tactile delicacy, and physical perfection without relying on direct cosmetic descriptions.
  • Lines 5-6 (Second Antithetical Turn / Climax): The visual display of embroidered garments and jeweled ornaments shifts attention toward conspicuous consumption and elite status linked directly to the inner palace.
  • Closing Lines (Resolving Couplet): The concluding warning serves as a searing political commentary, observing that the scorching power of the ruling family makes them untouchable and dangerous to approach.

IV. Cultural Symbolism & Key Metaphors

The poem employs rich material culture to signify moral corruption. The luxurious foods, such as camel hump and rare fish, juxtaposed with untouched dishes, symbolize wasteful excess. The spring setting and blooming flowers contrast starkly with the underlying political decay, while the final image of scorching heat serves as a metaphor for tyrannical authority that burns anyone who comes too close.

V. Philosophical Core & Global Resonance

Rooted in Confucian social responsibility and moral witness, Du Fu's poetry serves as an ethical anchor against political hubris. The poet acts as an impartial chronicler of historical tragedy, juxtaposing ephemeral worldly pleasures with impending doom. This universal meditation on power, decadence, and vulnerability elevates the text into a timeless global critique of unchecked political authority.

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