Civilizational Canons · LC4

Melodies & Performing Arts

Musical harmonies attuned to ancient scales and theatrical dramas: the sonic and dramatic beauty of Chinese opera and performing arts.

65works

10dynasties

38authors

Melodies & Performing Arts features ancient Yuefu ballads, dramatic Yuan zaju, and Ming-Qing Kunqu theater, immortalized in Bai Juyi's Song of the Pipa, The Story of the Western Wing, and The Peony Pavilion.

Masterpieces

14 works

Zhou

5 works

1046–221 BCE

  1. Reply to the King of ChuSong Yu · Essays & MemorialsThe loftier the song, the fewer those who can sing along.
  2. Mr. Nanguo Fills Out the EnsembleHan Fei · Philosophers' FablesFaking competence works only until you must perform alone.
  3. The Loftier the Song, the Fewer Who Join InSong Yu · Satirical ParablesThe more refined your vision, the fewer who understand it; don't doubt yourself for that.
  4. Faking It in the Pipe BandHan Fei · IdiomsA man who couldn't play the yu hid among real players; posing as competent among experts.
  5. Lofty Songs Find Few to Join InSong Yu · IdiomsThe loftier the tune, the fewer who can sing along; refined work appreciated by few.

Han

4 works

202 BCE – 220 CE

  1. Song of Lament (Zhaojun's Lament)Wang Zhaojun · Yuefu BalladsThe autumn trees grow lush, yet their leaves wither and yellow. There is a bird that dwells in the mountains, gathered upon the thick mulberry.
  2. Nineteen Ancient Poems · In the Northwest Stands a Lofty TowerAnonymous (Eastern Han literati) · Old-Style SongsIn the northwest stands a lofty tower, its summit rising level with drifting clouds. Patterned latticework graces delicate windows, multi-tiered terraces rise three flights high. From above comes the sound of stringed music and song, how sorrowful the melody rings! I grieve not for the singer's bitter toil, but mourn that true soulmates are so rare. Would that we were a pair of calling cranes, spreading wings to soar high into the sky.
  3. Playing the Lute to a CowMouzi · Satirical ParablesKnow your audience; speak in a way the listener can understand.
  4. Playing the Lute to a CowMou Rong · IdiomsPlaying refined music to a cow; wasting words on an audience that cannot understand or appreciate them.

Tang

5 works

618–907

  1. Song of Everlasting RegretBai Juyi · Old-Style SongsTurning with a single smile, a hundred charms arose; all the beauties of the palace faded without color.
  2. Clear and Even Melody · Part 1 (Clouds Recall Her Raiment)Li Bai · Regulated QuatrainsClouds recall her floating robes, blossoms her radiant face; spring breezes brush the balustrade in heavy glistening dew.
  3. Song of the PipaBai Juyi · Old-Style SongsWe both are drifted wanderers cast to heaven's far corners; meeting like this, what need is there for prior acquaintance!
  4. Mooring on the Qinhuai RiverDu Mu · Regulated QuatrainsThe singing girls do not know the grief of a fallen kingdom; across the river they still sing "Flowers in the Rear Court."
  5. Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai (The Butterfly Lovers)Anonymous · Folk LegendsZhu went up and wailed; the earth suddenly split open and sank, and so she was buried there with him.

Yuan

34 works

1260–1368

  1. Autumn ThoughtsMa Zhiyuan · Sanqu SongsWithered vines, old trees, evening crows; a small bridge, flowing water, a cottage home; an ancient road, west wind, a lean horse. The evening sun sinks in the west; a heartbroken traveler wanders at the world's end.
  2. Sails Returning to Distant ShoresMa Zhiyuan · Sanqu SongsBeneath the sunset glow, tavern banners hang calm; two or three skiffs have yet to moor. Falling blossoms scent the dusk waters by thatched huts; at the broken bridgehead, the fishmongers disperse.
  3. Night Voyage: Autumn ReflectionsMa Zhiyuan · Song SuitesA hundred years of light and shade are one butterfly dream; looking back, past affairs make one sigh.
  4. Falling Plum Wind: Rose DewMa Zhiyuan · Sanqu SongsDew on the roses, rain on the lotus leaves, frost on the chrysanthemums: a chill fragrance fills the courtyard.
  5. Refusing to Yield to AgeGuan Hanqing · Song SuitesI am a ringing, clanging bronze pea that will not soften when steamed, will not cook through when boiled, will not flatten when pounded, will not pop when roasted.
  6. Drunk in East Wind: Worlds Apart in a Single StepGuan Hanqing · Sanqu SongsSo near, yet as far apart as the south of heaven and the north of earth; in an instant the moon wanes and the flowers fly.
  7. Four Pieces of Jade: Parting LongingGuan Hanqing · Sanqu SongsSince our parting, my heart aches to let go; when will this ember of longing ever cease? Leaning on the balustrade, sleeves brush away snowy willow catkins. The stream bends, the hills conceal—my beloved is gone!
  8. Song of Great Virtue: AutumnGuan Hanqing · Sanqu SongsThe wind gusts, the rain patters; even Chen Tuan could not sleep through this.
  9. AutumnBai Pu · Sanqu SongsA lonely hamlet, setting sun, lingering twilight; light mist, old trees, chilly crows; a solitary wild goose casts its fleeting shadow. Blue mountains, green waters, bleached grasses, crimson maple leaves, and yellow chrysanthemums.
  10. SpringBai Pu · Sanqu SongsSpring mountains, warm sunlight, gentle breeze; balustrades, lofty pavilions, screened casements; weeping willows and swings in the courtyard. Warbling orioles, dancing swallows, a small bridge, flowing water, and fluttering red petals.
  11. FishermanBai Pu · Sanqu SongsYellow-reed banks and white-duckweed ferry landings; green-willow dikes and red-smartweed shoals.
  12. Meditations at Tongguan PassZhang Yanghao · Sanqu SongsMountain peaks gather close, wild billows surge in wrath; fortress pass of Tongguan framed by mountains and rushing stream. Gazing toward the Western Capital, hesitation weighs upon my soul. Sorrow strikes traversing the ancient lands of Qin and Han: ten thousand palace halls have all turned to dust. In imperial rise, the common people suffer; in imperial fall, the common people suffer.
  13. Meditations at Mount LiZhang Yanghao · Sanqu SongsSurveying Mount Li on all four sides, the Epang Palace burnt in a single torch: where is that imperial luxury today? Only sparse overgrown weeds remain, and streams winding in solitude. Lingering historical regrets shroud misty trees. Feudal kingdoms of Zhou, Qi, Qin, Han, and Chu: winner, all turned to dust; loser, all turned to dust!
  14. Praising JiangnanZhang Yanghao · Sanqu SongsMisty river waters reflect clear mountain hazes, dwellings on both shores join painted eaves, lotus clusters embrace a tranquil autumn light. Watching sand gulls dance again and again, rolling up fragrant breezes through ten miles of pearl curtains. Painted skiffs arrive from the horizon, wine flags flutter in the breeze: how I adore Jiangnan!
  15. Double Ninth FestivalZhang Kejiu · Sanqu SongsFacing the green hills, I force myself to straighten my black gauze cap. Returning geese cross the autumn sky; the weary traveller longs for home.
  16. Meditations on HistoryZhang Kejiu · Sanqu SongsThe beauty took her life by the banks of the Wujiang River; flames of war once scorched the Red Cliff cliffs; valiant generals aged in vain at the Jade Gate Pass. Heartbroken by Qin and Han, when innocent lives were trampled as ashes—the scholar gives a long, deep sigh!
  17. Spring ThoughtsZhang Kejiu · Sanqu SongsYellow orioles cry wildly in the willows outside the gate, after the fine rain of Qingming.
  18. Self-AccountQiao Ji · Sanqu SongsNo champion in imperial civil examinations, no official salary in imperial rolls. Accustomed to chasing wild butterflies and bees amid blossoms and wine. Laughing proudly amid forests and springs, casting aside fame and profit. Wandering in east winds, ten years a dream—let it all rest, calculate no more!
  19. Seeking Plum BlossomsQiao Ji · Sanqu SongsBefore and after winter through several hamlets, north and south of streams with frost on both shoes, searching atop and beneath trees on Lonely Hill. Whence comes this sudden fragrance in the chilling breeze? Met unexpectedly, standing still in rapt gaze: snowy bones, icy flesh, jade essence, orchid fragrance.
  20. Palace Joy: King Huai of ChuGuan Yunshi · Sanqu SongsKing Huai of Chu: his loyal minister leapt into the Miluo River.
  21. Song of You and MeGuan Daosheng · Sanqu SongsYou and I, our love is overwhelmingly deep; where love is so deep, it blazes like fire! Take a lump of clay, mold a you, and shape a me. Smash both of us together, mix with water, then mold another you and shape another me. In my clay there is you, in your clay there is me!
  22. Rootless Tree · Daoist Sentiment No. 1Zhang Sanfeng · Storytelling BalladsRootless tree, its blossoms quiet and secluded; who, clinging to the red dust of the world, is willing to cultivate the Way?
  23. The Injustice to Dou EGuan Hanqing · Yuan Zaju DramaIt is all because officials care nothing for true law, leaving the common people with mouths that cannot speak.
  24. Romance of the Western ChamberWang Shifu · Yuan Zaju DramaMay all lovers under heaven be joined as husband and wife.
  25. Rain on the Paulownia TreeBai Pu · Yuan Zaju DramaAll night the autumn rain strikes the paulownia, every drop a measure of the emperor's undying grief.
  26. The Soul of Qiannü Leaves Her BodyZheng Guangzu · Yuan Zaju DramaOf all life's sorrows, parting is the bitterest.
  27. Autumn in the Han PalaceMa Zhiyuan · Yuan Zaju DramaToday I watch Zhaojun go out beyond the frontier; when will she come home, as Su Wu did?
  28. The Orphan of ZhaoJi Junxiang · Yuan Zaju DramaA man may mean the tiger no harm, but the tiger means to hurt the man.
  29. The Story of the LuteGao Ming · Southern DramaAs for plays: to please people is easy, to move them is hard.
  30. Wang Can Climbs the TowerZheng Guangzu · Yuan Zaju DramaHere I lean on the railing and gaze; there my mother leans at the gate in grief.
  31. Rescuing a Sister from the Wind and DustGuan Hanqing · Yuan Zaju DramaThink things through beforehand to avoid regret later.
  32. The Single-Sword MeetingGuan Hanqing · Yuan Zaju DramaThe blood of heroes that twenty years have not washed away!
  33. The River-View PavilionGuan Hanqing · Yuan Zaju DramaHere, all smiles, we laugh in the spring breeze behind the lotus curtains; while he, cold and lonely, keeps company with the waning moon on the willow bank.
  34. On the Wall and on HorsebackBai Pu · Yuan Zaju DramaLiu so near is already heartbroken: for whom do you lean smiling on the wall?

Ming

6 works

1368–1644

  1. Liu Jingting the StorytellerZhang Dai · Informal EssaysWhen Wu Song reached the inn to buy wine and found no one there, he gave a sudden roar, and all the empty vats and jars in the inn hummed and rang.
  2. The Peony PavilionTang Xianzu · Chuanqi DramaSo all this riot of purple and crimson in full bloom has been left to broken wells and crumbling walls.
  3. Stories to Caution the WorldFeng Menglong (comp.) · Vernacular StoriesThrough the voice of the marketplace storyteller, it lays bare human nature and the ways of the world, to warn and awaken its readers.
  4. The Legend of the White SnakeAnonymous · Folk LegendsWhen West Lake runs dry, when river and lake rise no more, when Leifeng Pagoda falls, the White Snake shall come forth.
  5. The Girl Washing SilkLiang Chenyu · Chuanqi DramaA Kunshan-tune chuanqi on the rise and fall of Wu and Yue through Xi Shi and Fan Li.
  6. The Lychee and the MirrorAnonymous (anonymous Ming playwrights of southern Fujian) · Southern DramaThe love story of Chen San and Huang Wuniang in Quanzhou and Chaozhou dialects.

Qing

7 works

1636–1912

  1. Song of YuanyuanWu Weiye · Old-Style SongsThe six armies wailed, all clad in mourning white; but the rage that lifted his cap was for a rosy-cheeked beauty.
  2. The Sixth Book of Genius · Romance of the Western Chamber PrefaceJin Shengtan · Drama CriticismIn human life between Heaven and Earth, no supreme joy equals reading books. Reading Romance of the Western Chamber is like walking along the scenic Shanyin roads, where ten thousand ravines compete in cascading streams and lush flora enchant the eye. Every single character and phrase pours from the deepest genuine nature.
  3. Farewell · Outside the Long PavilionLi Shutong (Master Hongyi) · Self-Composed TunesOutside the long pavilion, along the ancient road, fragrant emerald grasses stretch to meet the sky. Evening breezes brush weeping willows as the fading flute melody dies; the setting sun sinks behind mountains beyond mountains. At heaven's edge and earth's corners, cherished soulmates have mostly scattered away. Draining a jar of cloudy wine to exhaust our remaining joy—tonight, dreams of parting will be cold.
  4. Dream of the Red ChamberCao Xueqin · Chapter NovelsPages full of absurd words, a handful of bitter tears. All call the author a fool; who understands the flavor within?
  5. The Palace of Eternal YouthHong Sheng · Chuanqi DramaIn love's arena, past and present, who has stayed true to the very end?
  6. The Peach Blossom FanKong Shangren · Chuanqi DramaI watched him raise his vermilion towers, watched him feast his guests, watched his towers fall.
  7. Casual Expressions of Idle FeelingLi Yu · Drama CriticismThis one person and this one event are the controlling idea of the chuanqi play.