Capital City Walls of Kaifeng
京 城
倚 天 栉 栉 万 楼 棚
圣 代 规 模 若 化 成。
如 许 金 汤 尚 资 盗
古 来 李 绩 胜 长 城。
Jing Cheng
Yi tian zhi zhi wan lou peng
Sheng day gui mo ruo hua cheng.
Ru xu jin tang shang zi dao
Gu lai li ji sheng chang cheng.
Capital City Walls of Kaifeng
This city with thousands of buildings, each of their colored layers from a different century
City walls and buildings express this sacred time of the Tang Dynasty.
All of these golden artifacts were stolen by the Jin
From time immemorial General Liji defended the country without a single wall or fortification.
Notes:
General Liji: (ca. 594-669 AD) (link) Army general and politician during the early Tang Dynasty. He helped his emperor to consolidate power and lands.
Fan Chengda is actually writing about the current state of affairs in his lifetime, Southern Song Dynasty. He cannot directly criticize the current regime, so he used historical events as a metaphor.