<Header>
<Author: 李商隱>
<Title: 隋宮>
<Format: 七言律詩>
<Year: 2009>
<BookName: Three Hundred TANG POEMS>
<Translator: Harris, Peter>
<TranslatedTitle: The Sui emperor’s palace (1)>
<BookPage: 158>
<UsedPage: 1>
<Feature: 0>
<End Header>
<Poem>
紫泉宮殿鎖煙霞，
欲取蕪城作帝家。
玉璽不緣歸日角，
錦帆應是到天涯。
于今腐草無螢火，
終古垂楊有暮鴉。
地下若逢陳後主，
豈宜重問後庭花。
<End Poem>
<Translation>
The capital palace, its purple pools were shrouded in heavy cloud;
He wanted to take the Wasteland City and make it his royal home.
If he hadn’t been fated to lose his jade seal to a man of regal mien,
He would have hoisted his brocade sails and gone to that far-off place.
Now there is no light from fireflies born of mouldering grass
And in the ancient weeping willows there are crows at dusk.
If he meets in the underworld with Chen, the ruler his house overthrew,
He shouldn’t ask any more about the song ‘Rear palace flowers’.
<End Translation>