The Palace Draped In Shadows Poem by William He

The Palace Draped In Shadows

The Palace draped in Shadows
By William He

The gilded pavilion lingers.
Its pillars thin and gaunt to bear the weight at dusk's close.
The Hall of Golden Chimes,
Bronze mirrors lie veiled in thick dust,
Tiered eaves drink the last backlight like tired wings at day's end.
The Meridian Gate's silence deeper than any key can say.
Stripped of all but breath.
A pall of ash drifts soundless, a ghost that floats and will not stay.
On the tattered silk,
Scaled coils twist—serpent marks that time cannot allay,
The lone shade of imperial will remains bound by flesh and breath — in clay.

The Nine still prowl, veiled in myth and twilight now.
Their forms shifting like living shadows across the sky,
The crocodilian guards weep, each tear like molten stone.
Iron hooves grind rebel bones, crunching the uprising dust.
Ah, the sweat‑dried steeds, their flanks stiff with age,
Jade saddles chilled by the breath of absence and abandonment,
The Lords lost down a road long veiled in mist and faded way.
Devoured by mist that swallows direction and name even.

Good and ill.
Flickering on walls no heart can warm.
Already, whispers brush the ear with ancient regrets,
Winds stir beyond the wall with voices of things lost.
Wronged ghosts press against the glass, their pale hands seeking release from a cage.
The hourglass flips, reversing fate with grains of mirrored time,
Beneath the polished hush, black tides begin to swell.
A beief, still moment slips,
The Tri-color glazed horse stands tall,
Feeding in the hush of dusk.

兰陵王 故宫墙内的影子
作者:何威廉

留黄阁。
廊柱纤腰瘦削。
金銮寂、
铜镜雰埃,
庑殿重檐逆光薄。
午门锁锈钥。
萧索。
浮灰暗着。
残缣上、
鳞甲屈盘,
孤影嘉量六尘缚。

九龙正巡绰。
乍灵幻观瞻,
垂泪蛟鳄。
铁蹄踏破三藩魄。
叹汗血消尽,
玉鞍发冷,
王孙归去路悠邈。
见荒霭吞嚼。

鸾雀。
只唯诺。
早耳畔声喧,
墙外风作。
冤魂欲越玻璃幕。
觉沙漏颠倒,
暗流潜跃。
蓦然转身,
有彩马,
饲寂寞。

POET'S NOTES ABOUT THE POEM
"The Meridian Gate":The southern and largest gate of the Forbidden City in Beijing, China. Unlike the other gates of the Forbidden City, the Meridian Gate has two protruding arms on either side, derived froTm ancient que towers traditionally used to decorate the main entrances of palaces, temples and tombs. The gate has five arches. "Nine Dragons": The Nine Dragon Wall is a type of screen wall adorned with reliefs of nine different Chinese dragons. These walls are typically found in imperial Chinese palaces and gardens. There are three famous Nine Dragon Walls in China, located in Datong, Beihai Park (Beijing) , and the Forbidden City (Beijing) . "Tri-Color Glazed Horse": Tang Tri-Color Glazed Ceramics. One of the great artistic achievements in the Tang Dynasty (618-906) was the invention of Tri-Color pottery. The technique has passed down to our present day as it manifests in this magnificent horse. Made by artisans from Luoyang, the ancient capital of nine dynasties throughout Chinese history.
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