He burned the books —
& tales of of old—
His force & power,
uncontrolled.
All China, bowed to his rule,
Oppressed by laws so strict, and cruel.
Seperate walls, combined to one—
The greatest wall—beneath the sun.
Endless miles of stone and dread,
Turned the Huns to Rome instead.
Freedom’s enemy, alone in the end,
No loyal hearts, no trusted friend.
Perched on the throne with suspicious eyes,
A sword on his knees, for traitors and spies
Divinity—professed to be,
A god on earth, eternally.
He sought the potions, life unending,
But death, unyielding, kept descending
His ego vast, beyond all measure,
Built a tomb of death and treasure.
A starry sky upon the dome,
Below, his empire carved in stone.
The rivers ran with mercury,
Poisoned seas of tyranny
Hundreds buried, still and pale—
Maidens, guards who told the tale.
Crossbows set with silent aim,
To pierce intruders in his name.
Candles lit the silent halls,
A ghastly glow on vanity’s walls.
This was Chinas’s first crowned head—
Who ruled through fear, and now lies dead.
But what survives when breath is gone,
It’s not the throne we sat upon.
The one lone thing death can’t disguise—
Is character, that never dies.
So choose your path, your deeds, your name—
For legacy outlives the fame.
——————————————
This is a poem about China’s first emporor, Qin Shi Huang.
He placed all of China under one rule.
He ordered the building of The Great Wall of China which offered 1,500 miles of protection from barbarian invation. It didn’t totally keep the enemies out but did work to some degree, and detered the Huns, from invading China and sent them to Rome instead.
He did sit upon his throne with a sword across his knees, prepared to fight off enemies.
Like Alexander, he professed Godship as he searched for an elixir of immortality.
His colossal ego had him buried in one of the most fascinating unearthed tombs the world has ever known.
This is the tomb, guarded still today by the famous Teracotta soldiers.
Star-studded constellations on the ceiling, a map of his unified (and conquered) empire etched on the floor, complete with rivers and seas marked with quicksilver (mercury).
Several hundred maidens, along with casket bearers, buried alive with him.
Booby traps set to harpoon intruders with crossbows and candles lit to illuminate the dead deeds.
This is Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of China.