Even in this world the spirit of a hero
Lives and reigns for thousands of years.
You were the firmest of the pot's three legs;
It was you who maintained the honour of the currency;
You chose a great premier to magnify your kingdom...
And yet you had a son so little like his father
That girls of your country were taken captive
To dance in the palace of the King of Wei.
Original Poem:
「蜀先主庙」
刘禹锡
天地英雄气，千秋尚凛然。
势分三足鼎，业复五铢钱。
得相能开国，生儿不象贤。
凄凉蜀故妓，来舞魏宫前。
Interpretation:
The Temple of the Liu Bei was located in Kui Zhou (east of Fengjie in present-day Chongqing), and this poem was written when the poet was the assassin of Kui Zhou. The Tang dynasty had its heyday, but by the time of Liu Yuxi, the country was already declining. However, the rulers were still so muddleheaded that they even repeatedly cracked down on and persecuted innovators like Liu Yuxi. It is clear that the poet writes this poem ostensibly for the purpose of historical reminiscence, but the real focus is to satirize the present, for although Tang had a wise lord like Li Shimin, it is a pity that the future generations are worrying about him.
The words show that the poet through the sun and the moon, look down on the ancient and modern mind, the poet faced with the statue of the late lord, solemn respect for the demeanor can be seen. The late lord of the temple is still powerful, the heroic spirit of his life, there is no need to mention.
Then write Liu Bei’s heroic performance, Liu Bei at the end of the Han Dynasty in the midst of chaos, fighting in the north and south, after a few ups and downs, it was not easy to form a situation with Cao Cao, Sun Quan three worlds. After establishing the state of Shu, he tried to advance into the Central Plains and unify China, which showed the hero’s ambition.
Then he further pointed out that Liu Bei’s career could not be accomplished and sighed for it. Liu Bei three visits to the Cottage, Zhuge Liang assisted, established the state of Shu; and after the Lord Liu Chan can not follow the virtues of the ancestors, close to the small man, stupid and cowardly, resulting in the foundation of the state of Shu was buried by him. The poet thinks that it is difficult to start a business and even more difficult to keep a business, which is a profound lesson of history, so it is specially pointed out.
Finally, the poet sighs at Liu Bei’s son Liu Chan’s unworthiness. After Liu Chan surrendered to Wei, he was relocated to Luoyang and appointed as the Duke of Anle County. The fact that Liu Zen was unsympathetic and insensitive to this point shows that it was no accident that he ended up as a captive of his country.
From the conception of the whole poem, the first four lines are written about Shengde, and the last four lines are written about the decline of the industry. In the sharp contrast between the prosperity and the decline of the industry, the profound educational significance of the rise and fall of the ancient and modern world has been told.
Poem translator:
Kiang Kanghu
About the poet:
Liu Yuxi(刘禹锡), 772 – 842 AD, was a native of Hebei. He was a progressive statesman and thinker in the middle of the Tang Dynasty, and a poet with unique achievements in this period. In his compositions, there is no lack of poems reflecting current affairs and the plight of the people.
