Kou Chien shattered Wu, then returned to his Yüeh kingdom.
Noble warriors home again boasting brocade robes, palace
women like blossoms filled springtime galleries here.
There’s nothing left now–only quail breaking into flight.
translated by David Hinton
Classic anti-war poem. Funny how poetry sits in that space so well–for what people consider a “romantic” form, it is actually anti-romantic, on the side of time and people, rather.
Well said.