1. "Poetry on the Death of the Country" by Mrs. Huarui of the Five Dynasties
The flag was lowered on the king's city. How did the concubine know about it in the deep palace?
One hundred and forty thousand people were all disarmed, and not one of them was a man!
Translation: A white flag was erected on the city tower of the King of Hou Shu. How could I know about this when I was blocked in this deserted palace? The 140,000 people guarding the king took off their shining golden armor. In fact, not one of these people was a man guarding the country!
2. The anonymous Spring and Autumn Period "Guo Feng·Wan Feng·Xiang Mouse"
The Xiang Rat has skin, but humans have no manners; if humans have no manners, what is the point of immortality?
A rat has teeth, but a human has no rest; a human has no rest, so why wait until death?
The Rat has a body, but the man is rude; the man is rude, how can he die?
Translation: A mouse still has skin, so how can a human be without dignity? If you don't have dignity as a person, you might as well die early. Rats still have teeth and behave uncontrollably as humans. If you have no control over your life, why don't you die? Rats still have bodies, but they are not polite as humans. If you don't behave politely, why don't you die quickly?
3. "The Silkworm Woman" by Laihu in the Tang Dynasty
It is hard and hard to pick mulberries at dawn, and you will not be idle when the flowers are in bloom.
If you teach about love for prosperity, you will freeze and kill the people in the golden house.
Translation: Picking mulberries from morning to night is hard work, and raising silkworms is very busy during the season when flowers are in bloom. If you teach village girls about things like flower viewing, you will freeze to death the rich ladies and little girls.
4. Cao Zhi's "Seven Steps Poem" of the Three Kingdoms
Boil the beans to make soup, and drain the black beans to make juice.
The leaves are burning under the cauldron, and the beans are weeping in the cauldron.
We are born from the same root, so why rush into conflict with each other?
Translation: Boil the beans to make bean soup, and filter the beans to make juice. The bean stalks burned under the pot and the beans wept in the pot. The bean pole and the bean grow from the same root, so why do they have to torture and force each other so hard?
5. "Parking in Qinhuai" by Du Mu in the Tang Dynasty
The smoke is in the cold water, the moon is in the sand, and I stay in Qinhuai at night near a restaurant.
Shang girls don’t know the hatred for the country’s subjugation, but they still sing the flowers in the backyard across the river.
Translation: The blurry moonlight and light smoke cover the cold water and white sand. At night, the boat is anchored at a restaurant on the shore of Qinhuai River. The singing girls don't understand what the hatred of the country's subjugation is, and they are still singing about Yushu and Backyard Flowers across the river.