by Wang Bo (c649 - 676)
Translation by Launcelot Alfred Cranmer-Byng (1872 - 1945)
There looms a lordly pleasure‑tower o'er...
Language: English after the Chinese (中文)
There looms a lordly pleasure-tower o'er yon dim shore, Raised by some King of Tang. Jade pendants at his girdle clashed, and golden bells Around his chariot rang. Strange guests through sounding halls at dawn go trailing by, Grey mists and mocking winds; And sullen brooding twilights break in rain on rain, To lash the ragged blinds. The slow, sun-dappled clouds lean down o'er waters blue, Clear mirrored one by one; Then drift as all the world shall drift. The very stars Their timeless courses run. How many autumn moons have steeped those palace walls! And paled the shattered beams! What is their royal builder now? A Lord of dust? An Emperor of dreams?
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by Launcelot Alfred Cranmer-Byng (1872 - 1945), "A King of Tang", appears in A Feast of Lanterns, first published 1916 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in Chinese (中文) by Wang Bo (c649 - 676) [text unavailable]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Granville Ransome Bantock, Sir (1868 - 1946), "The King of Tang", published 1933 [ voice and piano or orchestra ], from Songs from the Chinese Poets: Set VI, no. 1 [sung text checked 1 time]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2011-01-18
Line count: 16
Word count: 114