“… Jiang Wei alone still strove with might and main: / Nine times more he fought the north—in vain… .”

“… The kingdoms three are now the stuff of dream,/ For men to ponder, past all praise or blame.”

“… Near death in Baidi, having reigned three years, / Bei sadly placed his son in Kongming’s care… .”

“… ‘First take Jingzhou, next the Riverlands; / On that rich region, base your own royal stand.’ …”

It lives mainly on fruit, leaves, and the occasional nose.

“… Cao’s abdication changed the face of all; / No mighty battles marked the Southland’s fall… .”

“… Zhong Hui and Deng Ai next led armies west: / And to the Cao, Han’s hills and streams now passed… .”

“… The world’s affairs rush on, an endless stream; / A sky-told fate, infinite in reach, dooms all… .”

“ … Cao Pi, Cao Rui, Fang, Mao, and briefly, Huan— / The Sima took the empire in their turn… .”

“… But the time of Han had run—could he [Kongming] not tell?— / That night his master star fell past the hills… .”

“Thrice Xuande’s ardent quest led to Nanyang, / Where Sleeping Dragon unveiled Han’s partition: …”

“… Three kings no more—Chenliu, Guiming, Anle. / The fiefs and posts must now be filled anew… .”