Beaten by
刘邦 in 202 BC,
项羽 reached the ferry at
乌江, where the local official had a boat ready to take him home to
江东, the land east of the Yangtze where he had raised his army. He refused: he had crossed with eight thousand young men from there and none had come back, so how could he face their elders? He fought on and took his own life. The line closes
李清照's
夏日绝句.
