Rubble and bright pearls—all cast away alike;
When did Lord Shi truly value her loveliness?
All because of clumsy fortune made in a former life—
But at least a shared death comforted the loneliness.
English titles, text, and notes are AI-assisted for reading only; for scholarship cite the Chinese and authoritative editions.
Annotation
Daiyu's fourth poem, about Luzhu (Green Pearl). Luzhu was the beloved concubine of the Western Jin dynasty's Shi Chong; when Shi Chong was killed, she leapt from a tower to die with him. 'Clumsy fortune from a former life' carries fatalistic overtones.
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