The Song趙宋承周都汴京
1The Song of the Zhao house makes Bianjing its capital
○趙宋承周都汴京, 聖君賢相相經緯, 盤安鼎峙業靈長, 文章郁郁干戈止.
The Song of the Zhao house followed Zhou and made Bianjing (汴京) its capital, and holy rulers and worthy ministers were warp and weft to each other, steady as bedrock and firm as the three legs of a cauldron, their work was blessed and long, and their writing shone and shone, and spear and shield came to rest.
Interlinear notes 2
名匡胤, 舊名玄朗. 周天顯六年, 遼兵入境, 詔玄朗北討, 而軍情忽變, 策爲太子, 受禪卽皇帝位. 元年庚申, 我光宗十二年也. 火德. 至小帝靖康元年, 金兵圍汴, 帝出降. 金人書於旗曰, ‘生禽趙氏三千族, 殺盡南朝十萬兵.’ 自太祖, 至小帝, 凡九主, 合一百六十七年. 傳之金國.
His name was Kuangyin (匡胤) and his former name Xuanlang. In the sixth year of Xiande (顯德) of Zhou, the Liao army crossed the border, and Xuanlang was ordered by edict to campaign north, but the feeling of the army suddenly turned, and he was installed as crown prince, received the abdication, and took the imperial throne. His first year was the gengshen year, which was the twelfth year of our Gwangjong. His power was fire. By the first year of Jingkang under the young emperor, Qinzong, the Jurchen Jin army surrounded Bianjing, and the emperor came out and surrendered. The men of the Jurchen Jin wrote on their banners, "We have taken the three thousand clansmen of the Zhao house alive, and killed the hundred thousand soldiers of the southern court to the last man." From Taizu down to the young emperor there were nine rulers in all, one hundred and sixty-seven years. The throne passed to the Jurchen Jin.
周天顯六年 — the base text writes 「天顯」; it is taken as an error for 「顯德」. ― translator
2Sima Guang's Zizhi tongjian
溫公作鑑明興亡, 乙夜九重常玩味, 於爲國乎何有哉.
Sima Guang made the Zizhi tongjian and laid bare the rise and fall of states, and within the ninefold palace it was savored at the second watch (乙夜) night after night. What difficulty could there be, then, in governing a state?
Interlinear notes 1
溫公 — the base text uses his style name, Duke Wen (溫公). It means Sima Guang. ― translator
3Every character moved Heaven
字字動天仍感鬼.
Every character moved Heaven, and stirred even the spirits.
4What is below reaches what is above
下情得達上恩均, 化日舒長明遠洎.
What was felt below reached above, and the ruler's grace fell evenly, and the days of his influence stretched long, and his brightness reached far.
5Cai Jing gambles away the state
蔡京當國賭蕃金, 蕃騎聯編來不已, 三千趙族委灰塵, 風軟天邊颺旗幟.
Cai Jing took charge of the state and gambled it on the barbarian Jurchen Jin, and the barbarian horsemen came on and on without end, and three thousand of the Zhao clan were left to ash and dust, and on the soft-windy edge of the sky only their banners flew.
6Those who rose in the gaps
五代遼宋龍興間, 誰圖不軌蚖其肆.
While the Five Dynasties and Liao and Song were rising up like dragons, who were they that watched for the gap, plotted what was not right, and raged like vipers?
7Yan, Chu, and Wuyue
○劉守光燕 ○馬殷楚, 錢鏐吳越 先開壘.
The Yan (燕) of Liu Shouguang, the Chu (楚) of Ma Yin, and the Wuyue (吳越) of Qian Liu opened their ramparts first.
Interlinear notes 3
梁乾化三年, 據幽州, 盡三年.
In the third year of Qianhua of Liang he held Youzhou, and it lasted three years.
梁開平九年, 據楚. 六主, 合四十四年.
In the ninth year of Kaiping of Liang he held Chu. There were six rulers, forty-four years.
梁開平元年, 據兩浙. 凡五主, 合六十三年.
In the first year of Kaiping of Liang he held the two Zhe (兩浙). There were five rulers in all, sixty-three years.
8Wu, the Southern Tang, and the Northern Han
○楊行密吳 李昇唐, ○劉崇漢 等相隨恑.
The Wu (吳) of Yang Xingmi, the Tang (南唐) of Li Sheng, and the Han (北漢) of Liu Chong followed one after another with their tricks.
Interlinear notes 4
後唐光化二年, 據淮南. 凡四主, 合三十九年.
In the second year of Guanghua of the Later Tang he held Huainan. There were four rulers in all, thirty-nine years.
晉天福二年, 受吳禪改國. 凡三主, 合三十九年.
In the second year of Tianfu of Jin he received the abdication of Wu and changed the name of the state. There were three rulers in all, thirty-nine years.
周廣順元年, 據晉陽. 凡四主, 合二十九年.
In the first year of Guangshun of Zhou he held Jinyang. There were four rulers in all, twenty-nine years.
變也.
The word means trickery.
9They kneel at the court of Song Taizong
假氣延時不數家, 宋大宗朝共擎跽.
Those who borrowed strength to drag out their time were but a few houses, and at the court of Song Taizong they all held up their tablets and knelt.
Interlinear notes 1
臣禮也.
This refers to the rite of a subject.