The Faults of Qin (A Translation work)
While possessing the Yong state lands,
Xiao of Qin held two passes in hands:
Xiaoshan and Hangu, and at the same time,
on the Zhou's regime he cast a covetous eye.
Unifying the country was his ambitions,
At the moment, Shang Yang gave him advices:
Inside, they should establish legislatures,
and the state should focus on agriculture.
put heart into the production of textile,
build weapons to defend those who acted hostile.
Externally, they should create strategies,
to make others fight and become enemies.
Thus, Qin could seize the lands in the west of
the Yellow River without making an effort.
After the Xiao of Qin's death,
The King Hui Wen, Wu and Zhao Xiang.
took over the foundations of their
previous generations, and from there.
they followed the footsteps of their deceased,
Hanzhong in the south, they seized,
then grabbed the Ba and Shu in the west.
Cut the fertile region in the east and the rest,
and occupied the significant areas in the north,
those who feared Qin were all the lords.
Thus, they started to assemble an alliance
and discussed how to deal with Qin's menace.
In order to use the best talents of the state
to fight against Qin, they did not hesitate
to trade their precious artifacts and rich lands
and now all lords joined together, hands in hands.
(to be continued... Oct 21, 2015)
A brief introduction: This is a prose written by Jia Yi (200 – 168 BC), Han Dynasty. The prose criticizes the Qin dynasty (lasting from 221 to 206 BC) and explains the reasons why Qin collapsed. The prose was beautifully written in a parallel prose style which I think can be translated into the epic style in English.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jia_Yi
