Poems Revealed after Her Burial, Zhang Taihua

In 938, Meng Chang traveled together with his Consort Zhang Taihua to Zhangren Monastery on Mt. Qingcheng. Taihua died there, and was immediately buried. Several years later, Daoist priest Li Ruochong suddenly saw her become visible. Because she recited a poem [TN: first poem], the sincere Ruochong freed himself(?) from the hidden spirit, then went to the gathering of fasters for the Zhongyuan Festival, where they offered up to Taihua a gold-leaf talisman of eternal life and the jade chapter of becoming a god, and she achieved immortality. Taihua returned in a dream and recited a poem giving thanks, (saying) between the walls there were writings in her grave.

Enduring autumn, I lie alone, cicada hair let down.
Wind rises in the poplar trees—I cannot fall asleep.
I think of those departed days when Jiao Hall girls were pampered—
Tears wet my darkened collar, erode my jade hairpin.

Thanking Li Ruochong
The guard of the talisman hurriedly knocks the bolted door at night—
Complying with the golden book, I leave the Netherworld.
Teacher’s endorsing my promotion—his kindness is not shallow.
Achieving immortality, I’ve nine mistakes endured.

葬后见形诗
作者：孟蜀妃张太华
〈孟昶，广政初，与妃张太华同游青城山丈人观。太华死，即葬其地。数年后，道士李若冲忽见其现形。因吟一诗，恳若冲超拔幽魂，若冲于中元节黄箓斋会，为太华奠长生金简生神玉章得度。梦太华复吟一诗来谢，壁间有黄土书。〉

独卧经秋堕鬓蝉，
白杨风起不成眠。
寻思往日椒房宠，
泪湿夜襟损翠钿。

谢李若冲
符吏匆匆叩夜扃，
便随金简出幽冥。
蒙师荐拔恩非浅，
领得生神九过经。

Blegh Daoist jargon. Consider especially the second half of the headnote, starting with her meeting the priest, to be a tentative translation, and the second poem isn’t much better.

Meng Chang was the second and final ruler of Later Shu, another of the Ten Kingdoms of the post-Tang period, which like Former Shu was based in Sichuan. He ruled from 934 till he surrendered his kingdom to Song Dynasty forces in 965. Mt. Qingcheng is a mountain sacred to Daoists northwest of Chengdu (and, today, also sacred to panda lovers).

The fasters are partaking of a cleansing diet prior to meeting spirits of the dead during the festival. The gold-leaf talisman is a long, narrow strip of beaten gold, in shape reminiscent of the bamboo strips anciently used for writing before the invention of paper, on which a spell has been engraved. A few different jade i.e. precious scriptures on “being born divine” i.e. ascending to immortality have survived. The writings in her grave hint at being further Daoist scriptures.

“Cicada hair” is a type of hairstyle, where the hair is brushed back from the temples in a way said to resemble the thin wings of a cicada then bound up in a complicated bun. Jiao (“pepper-tree”) Hall is a generic name for a residence of imperial concubines. The “guard of the talisman” is a Daoist priest tasked with protecting a sacred talisman. The “nine mistakes” seems to be intentionally obscure.

---L.