In the reign of Emperor Ming of Tang, the Master Ye Fashan was summoned. It was the night of the first full mo…
In the reign of Emperor Ming of Tang, the Master Ye Fashan was summoned. It was the night of the first full moon of the new year, the very hour when the Lantern Festival lights were displayed. The emperor remarked that the capital Luoyang was beyond compare elsewhere, yet the master said that even on this fine night, the spectacle could still be witnessed.
Thereupon, he invited the emperor on a celestial journey, relying on wondrous arts. They were about to traverse the heavens when, in an instant, they departed the palace. The imperial phoenix carriage rose upon clouds, its emerald banners fluttering swift as a gale. Without relying on the art of riding the wind, they soared through the void in a flash. As if using the art of shrinking the earth, they halted in a moment. Soon, they felt the journey through Guanlong end, and the scenery of Hehuang unfold anew.
Arriving at a bustling, prosperous place, they saw crowds of sightseers. A thousand silver lanterns glowed, fragrant dust filled ten miles of roads. Red mansions stretched endlessly, as bright as daytime, the clear night shimmered, as warm as spring.
This prefecture was indeed Wuwei, its scenery like a fairyland. Colors flickered, reflecting the golden Buddha statues; light dazzled, outshining the jade toad in the sky. Wandering and enjoying, they wandered incognito here. No one recognized them, who could have expected the imperial visit? At that time, dew moistened the grass, and not a cloud dotted the sky.
Golden duck-shaped incense burners radiated light, ice-like lotus lanterns held glow, connected like stars. The music was different from the Masked Troupe, yet flutes and songs filled the ears. The people were not from the imperial villa, yet silk and brocade filled the sight. Soon, the dipper shifted, and the silver arrow of the water clock marked the late hour. Wandering around did not fully satisfy the emperor's wish, viewing all still tired his royal attention.
They mingled with people of high and low status, blending light with the common. Just as a phoenix hides its form among birds, and birds do not know it, a dragon conceals its shadow among fish, and fish do not see it.
Soon homesickness crept in, and the emperor did not detain him. In a trance, he left the frontier, and in an instant, returned to the central plains. Unlike King Mu returning from the Jade Pool feast, or Emperor Wu coming back from the Bogu trip.
Since lanterns died and immortals departed, weeds on frontier forts dim with dust, cypresses by Qin Mausoleums veiled in dusk. Only survivors mourning Tang's grace feel deepest sorrow on this night.