汉宫词
青雀[1]西飞竟未回，
君王长在集灵台[2]。
侍臣最有相如渴，
不赐金茎露[3]一杯。
李商隐一生经历了唐宪、穆、敬、文、武、宣六朝，此时的唐朝正走向衰败。本诗以汉宫轶事为题引，借西王母携青鸟会见汉武帝，许诺三年后再来而未至的神话故事，巧妙地表达了像诗人这样渴求为帝王尽忠效力的侍臣得不到信任和重用的遗憾、失望和凄楚之情。
注释：
[1]青雀：指青鸟，《山海经》中提到的西王母所使之神鸟。
[2]集灵台：汉时台名。
[3]金茎露：承露盘中的露，是汉武帝在建章宫神明台所立的金铜仙人承露盘接贮的“云表之露”。
The Han Palace
The blue bird did not bring elixir from the sky;
In vain the monarch waited in his tower high.
His talented poet thirsty for drink divine
Was never given a drop of immortal wine.
Note:This is a satire against the Martial Emperor of the Han Dynasty who sent blue birds to bring back elixir from the sky,but did not give a drop of the divine drink to his thirsty talented poet.
Li Shangyin experienced the Tang Dynasty, namely, Xian, Mu, Jing, Wen, Wu and Xuan. At that time, the Tang Dynasty was declining. This poem is based on the anecdotes of the Han Palace. It borrows the myth of the Queen Mother of the West meeting Emperor Wu of Han with the blue bird and promising to come back in three years but never coming. It cleverly expresses the regret, disappointment and sadness of a courtier like the poet who is eager to serve the emperor loyally but is not trusted and reused.
