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Huang-fu Jan (716–769) was born in Kansu province but grew up near Nanching and was known for his poetry and prose even as a boy. Although he served in a number of posts, he never achieved the success he expected and here wonders why. The woman whose persona he appropriates was Pan Chieh-yu, the great aunt of the historian Pan Ku (A.D. 32–92) and a concubine of Emperor Ch’eng of the Han dynasty (r. 32–7 B.C.). Although the emperor admired her virtue and learning, he later became infatuated with Chao Fei-yen and sent Pan to live by herself in Changhsing Palace. There, she wrote poems complaining of neglect, and later writers often used her voice to point to their own overlooked abilities. In ancient China, eyebrows were considered one of a woman’s greatest assets, much like breasts are today in the West. Thus, Pan compares hers to those of the other women at court. During the Han dynasty, Chienchang Palace was built by Emperor Wu and was said to have one thousand doors and ten thousand windows. Emperor Ch’eng built Chaoyang Hall directly behind it as a residence for Chao Fei-yen.

A Concubine’s Lament

HUANG-FU JAN

A flowering branch grows from Chienchang Palace

from Chaoyang Hall I hear the royal flutes

I wish I could ask those favored few

exactly how long are their eyebrows