Chapter 119 Dreams Adrift upon Qinghua (III)

　　Cloudlike coiffure, flowerlike face, gold pendants trembling; within the lotus-draped canopy they pass a warm spring night.　　Spring nights are bitterly short; the sun rises high—henceforth the sovereign would not attend the morning court.　　In the fourth year of the Tianbao era (745), Emperor Xuanzong took Yang Yuhuan to the Qinghua Pool. That day the sky was clear and the pool like a polished mirror; willows leaned over the banks and, from time to time, a crane strolled idly by the water’s edge.　　Qinghua Pool was rimmed with white jade; the hot spring water was silky and veiled with mist, as if set amid clouds. Xuanzong and Yang Yuhuan bathed together; her skin gleamed like jade and her dark hair fell like a cascade as she nestled against the emperor’s breast. Hibiscus petals floated upon the surface and the scent rose with the steam; they spoke and laughed softly, like an immortal couple.　　At nightfall the two slept deeply within a hibiscus-draped tent. At times Xuanzong felt light as a feather and drifted upward into the ninth heaven.　　There appeared before him a bright moon as pure as a dish; in its light jade towers and crystal pavilions loomed—the very court of the moon. Xuanzong trod the clouds and, hearing ethereal music, followed it. Before the white jade steps of the Palace of Vast Cold stood several maidens in plain robes, playing jade flutes and zither-like instruments, their fingers moving with delicate grace. In the center a woman clad in rainbow garments and feathered robes, sleeves billowing like clouds, began