The jewelled steps are already quite white with dew,
It is so late that the dew soaks my gauze stockings,
And I let down the crystal curtain
And watch the moon through the clear autumn.
_By Rihaku._
Note.--Jewel stairs, therefore a palace. Grievance,
therefore there is something to complain, of. Gauze
stockings, therefore a court lady, not a servant who
complains. Clear autumn, therefore he has no excuse on
account of weather. Also she has come early, for the dew
has not merely whitened the stairs, but has soaked her
stockings. The poem is especially prized because she utters
no direct reproach.