The Jewel Stairs' Grievance
The Jewel Stairs' Grievance - context Summary
From Pound's Cathay Translations
A brief nocturnal scene in sparse, imagistic language: the speaker watches an autumn moon from behind a crystal curtain as dew soaks delicate clothing on jewelled steps. The poem conveys quiet solitude, tactile coolness, and an understated mood of longing or resignation through precise sensory detail. Its compactness and emphasis on visual and bodily impressions reflect the translated, distilled quality associated with Pound's Cathay renderings of classical Chinese verse.
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