Through the Dynasties · LH13

Yuan

Pax Mongolica and continental trade networks

40works

5forms

17authors

Sanqu & Drama

29 works

Sanqu lyric suites, Yuan Zaju poetic dramas, and Ming-Qing Kunqu masterworks.

  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 Zhao (Zhaoshi Gu'er)Ji 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.

Fables & Lore

4 works

Philosophical fables, historical allusion narratives, and primordial mythology.

  1. Swallowing Dates WholeBai Ting · Satirical ParablesTaking things in without chewing them over yields no real understanding.
  2. Staking Everything on One ThrowToqto'a et al. · Satirical ParablesAn all-or-nothing gamble is perilous; even victory can bring suspicion.
  3. The Fox Mourns the Dead HareToqto'a et al. · Satirical ParablesWhen one of your kind falls, take it as a warning for yourself.
  4. Yulizi (The Book of Master Yuli)Liu Bowen · Satirical ParablesWhat is Yuli? Li is fire, the sign of civilization; put to use, its culture flourishes, bringing the rule of an enlightened age.

Sayings & Idioms

5 works

Living Chinese linguistic heritage comprising idioms, proverbs, aphorisms, and couplets.

  1. Calm and Self-PossessedToqto'a et al. · IdiomsCalm and composed, even in an emergency.
  2. Staking Everything on One ThrowToqto'a et al. · IdiomsBetting everything on a single throw; a desperate all-or-nothing gamble.
  3. The Fox Mourns the Dead HareToqto'a et al. · IdiomsThe fox grieves over the dead hare; sorrow for the misfortune of one's own kind.
  4. Gold and Jade Outside, Rotten Cotton WithinLiu Bowen · AphorismsWhere can one go and not find gold and jade on the outside, and rotten cotton within?
  5. Leaving Well and Home BehindMa Zhiyuan · IdiomsSuppose our founding emperor had sent your own maid off to leave her well and home behind, to lie in snow and sleep in frost.