The meaning of Li Qingzhao's ancient poem "Summer Quatrain" is as follows:
Poetic meaning of "Summer Quatrain": The author describes Xiang Yu's deeds to show that people should be heroes among men and make contributions to the country while they are alive. Even if he dies, he must sacrifice his life for his country and become a hero among ghosts. It expressed his love for the country and satirized the shameless behavior of those in power in the Southern Song Dynasty who did not want to make progress and lived an ignoble existence.
Original text:
Summer Quatrains
Song Dynasty: Li Qingzhao
He was born as a hero, and died as a ghost hero.
I still miss Xiang Yu and refuse to cross Jiangdong.
Translation: You should be a hero among men when you are alive, and you should be a hero among ghosts after death. To this day, people still miss Xiang Yu because he refused to live an ignoble existence and returned to Jiangdong.
The beginning and end of this poem are upright and dignified, penetrating one's chest and pointing straight to one's spine. This poem has a high-pitched tone and clearly puts forward the value orientation of life: when a person is alive, he must be a hero among men and make contributions to the country; when he is dead, he must sacrifice his life for the country and become a hero among ghosts.