She saw through the three springs' fleeting glory;
Black robes replaced her former finery.
Pity the noble maiden of embroidered chambers—
Alone she sleeps beside the ancient Buddha's lamp.
English titles, text, and notes are AI-assisted for reading only; for scholarship cite the Chinese and authoritative editions.
Annotation
This verdict concerns Jia Xichun. 'Three springs' has a double meaning: the brevity of spring and her three elder sisters (Yuanchun, Yingchun, Tanchun) whose fates were short-lived. After witnessing her sisters' tragedies, Xichun renounced the world and became a Buddhist nun. 'Black robes' refers to monastic garments.
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