Her root shared with the lotus, one stalk of fragrance;
Her lifetime's encounters were truly lamentable.
Once two lands grew a lonely tree,
It sent her fragrant soul back to her homeland.
English titles, text, and notes are AI-assisted for reading only; for scholarship cite the Chinese and authoritative editions.
Annotation
This verdict concerns Xiangling (Zhen Yinglian). 'Root shared with lotus' alludes to her name—water caltrop (ling) grows alongside lotus. 'Two lands grow a lonely tree' combines to form the character '桂' (gui), referring to Xia Jingui whose persecution led to Xiangling's death. Her life was one of abduction, servitude, and torment.
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