[updated October 2022]
Tai Cheng Palace Melody: Two Poems: No. 1
台 城 曲： 二 首
整 整 复 斜 斜
随 族 簇 晚 沙。
门 外 韩 擒 虎
楼 头 张 丽 华。
谁 怜 容 足 地
却 羡 井 中 蛙。
Tai Cheng Qu: Er Shou
Zheng zheng fu xie xie
Sui zu cu wan sha.
Men wai han qin hu
Lou tou zhang li hua.
Shei lian rong zu di
Que xian jing zhong wa.
Tai Cheng Palace Melody: Two Poems: No. 1
Palace buildings added onto over time are now askew, yet appear as a whole complex
Sui River covered this area with sand.
Han Qinhu got his name changed for capturing the last Chen emperor.
Zhang Lihua also jumped from a tower top into a well.
Who can sympathize with him and his lady trying to hide in this shallow well
These frogs in the well thought the invaders would ignore them.
Notes:
Han Qinhu: (538-604 AD) An army general famous for leading the charge of five hundred cavalry into the Chen Dynasty capital of Jiankang to capture the emperor and his concubine Zhang Lihua.
Zhang Lihua: (?-589) Pretty Chen palace lady and favorite concubine of the emperor who was a major distraction to the palace insiders, and thus helped in their downfall. After being captured by the Sui army, she was beheaded for being a potential problem.
Chen Dynasty: (557-589 AD) The fourth and last of the Southern Dynasties. Geographical area included the modern day provinces of Zhejiang, Fujian, and Guangdong.