I am...

I am the peony blushing red, the swaying tree, the whispering wind
I am the steep path leading pilgrims to the gates of heaven
I am in words, in protests, in tears
I am a burn which purifies, a pain with the power to transform
I am traveling through the season, I shine like a star
I am Man's melancholy smile
I am the Mountain's indulgent smile
I am the enigmatic smile of He who turns the Wheel of Eternity

This is a poem that was written by Empress Wu that the author decided to put at the end of the book. In the story, Empres Wu eventually has the throne taken away by her heirs. All the greed for power and the fight for survival she encounters since her succession in becoming a concubine occurs all time and again, like an unending cycle. When she died, she had this poem engraved to live out her legacy.