Yuan Dynasty
蟾宫曲 · 晓起
徐琰
恨无端报晓何忙？
唤却金乌，
飞上扶桑。
正好欢娱，
不防分散，
渐觉凄凉。
好良宵添数刻争甚短长？
喜时节闰一更差甚阴阳？
惊却鸳鸯，
拆散鸾凰。
犹恋香衾，
懒下牙床。
Translation
How hateful — why must the dawn call come so soon? It summons the golden crow, sending it flying up to Fusang. Just as we are deep in joy, separation suddenly approaches, and sadness slowly begins to rise. For such a fine night, what harm would there be in adding a few more moments? For such a happy time, what offense to the order of heaven would there be in adding one more watch? It startles the mandarin ducks, tears apart the luan and phoenix. Still longing for the fragrant quilt, I am too reluctant to leave the ivory bed.
Analysis
"Moon Palace Tune · Rising at Dawn" depicts the moment after a night of intimacy when lovers are forced apart by daybreak. Though the title says "rising at dawn," the emotional center is the refusal to rise and the unwillingness to part. The opening question turns dawn into an offender: why is the call of morning in such a hurry? Dawn is natural, but to lovers it feels like an intrusion. "Golden crow" refers to the sun, and "Fusang" is the mythic tree from which the sun rises. By using this mythology, Xu Yan makes sunrise feel grand and unavoidable. The lovers are not merely disturbed by morning; they are confronted by cosmic order. The emotional turn is clear: "Just as we are deep in joy, separation suddenly approaches." Pleasure and sorrow overlap. The greater the joy, the more painful the forced parting. The two rhetorical questions are especially Yuan in tone. Why not extend such a fine night by a few moments? Why not insert an extra watch into such a happy time? The speaker knows this is impossible, but the unreasonable complaint expresses the intensity of desire. "Startling mandarin ducks" and "tearing apart luan and phoenix" use paired birds to symbolize lovers. Dawn becomes the force that breaks a pair apart. The final image returns from myth to the body: the speaker still clings to the fragrant quilt and is too lazy to leave the ivory bed. This domestic detail grounds all the mythic and rhetorical language in a real human reluctance. Although the piece belongs to a "brothel songs" sequence, it is not merely frivolous. It captures a universal feeling: a beautiful night is always too short when separation waits at dawn.
About the Author
Xu Yan, courtesy name Zifang, also recorded as Zifang with a different character, and literary names Rongzhai, Yangzhai, and Wensou, was a Yuan dynasty sanqu writer from Dongping. He was likely born around the Jin-Yuan transition and died during the Dade reign of Emperor Chengzong. Known for his literary talent from youth, he studied at the Dongping prefectural school and was later recommended to serve under the Yuan, holding office in the Court of Imperial Sacrifices. His best-known sanqu include the "Ten Songs of the Brothel" sequence, which portrays meetings, banquets, intimacy, and parting in ornate yet lively language, often revealing genuine feeling through scenes of romantic life.