“The royal tree of the late emperor, the orange tree blooms. The mandate does not change, born in the southern country.” — Epigraph
You stand before us like a flowering tree, adorned with blossoms, your body decorated and shimmering, exuding the elegance of orchids. Throughout the spring, I gaze at you, as if looking at a tree rich in spirit and graceful in form, expressing the hymn of life with dreamlike flowers. By the banks of the Miluo River, you leaped, drawing the most beautiful arc with your life in the land of Chu...
This arc carries your deep patriotism; this arc may be the most perfect conclusion of your life; this arc also writes of so much helplessness and unwillingness, but ultimately cannot fade your unwavering loyalty to King Huai of Chu!
You are a great spirit, adorned with flowers and draped in fragrant herbs, your wide sleeves fluttering in the wind, while your tall figure remains motionless, radiating the fragrance of orchids, which even today, two thousand two hundred and eighty years later, still emits an eternal scent. Qu Yuan is regarded as one of the four great cultural figures in the world, but I wonder if he would be willing to sit with Dante, Shakespeare, and Goethe in the same international hall to receive everyone's admiration.
Heaven has left this river of poetry to you, and has also entrusted the hearts of the people of Chu to you. You said you did not see the prosperous land of Shangyi, but saw the evil and treacherous eyes of King Zhao of Qin — “Oh, King Huai,” you could not help but shout, “how can you trust Zhang Yi so easily? Why do you avoid me as if I were a plague?” You said you did not see the clean and clear “good governance” of Chu, but saw the greedy and jealous face of Jin Shang: the political arena is dark, officials protect each other, greed is rampant, forming cliques, excluding dissent — no, this is not what you wanted. Oh, foolish King Huai of Chu, when will you understand this sincere heart of yours? But you did not despair; you remained steadfast.
“While all others are drunk, I alone am awake; while the world is muddled, I alone am clear.” Indeed, apart from sacrificing yourself for the country, you have no other intentions. King Huai is dead, King Qingxiang is in power, and Zilan is persecuting you; what else can you do? But you have no regrets, even if you throw yourself into the Miluo River, you refuse to be tainted with the world, using the arc of your life to prove your love for the land of Chu and your loyalty to King Huai!
You said you did not see a peaceful and prosperous Chu, but only saw the corpses of the Chu people fighting and wild dogs tearing apart the dreams of spring in someone’s boudoir. Survival and death, evasion and confrontation, compromise and sacrifice for the country, you chose the latter. You want to encourage your fellow countrymen, awaken your king, and strive for your final resistance!
You walk by the banks of the Yuan and Xiang rivers, your face withered, long hair draped over your shoulders, indifferent and emotionless. Yes, that is because you cannot see the future and hope; you are in despair, hoping that death will serve as your final proof! But, alas, how can the land of Chu be so unstable? You are powerless to turn it back.
Since Zhang Yi dismantled the alliance between Qi and Chu, and the favored concubine Zheng Xiu bribed and deceived the King of Chu into letting Zhang Yi go, you have despaired; since King Huai stubbornly went alone to the alliance in Chu and died in Qin, you have completely lost hope.
Throwing yourself into the Miluo River is your only choice. This arc of life, though helpless, is another kind of brilliance, everlasting and immortal beauty!
This article is synchronized and updated by Mix Space to xLog. The original link is https://fmcf.cc/posts/ode/Life-Curvature