Classical Poetry · LT103

Yuefu Ballads

Narrative folk ballads and musical court songs capturing vivid human experiences.

29works

5dynasties

23authors

Han

14 works

202 BCE – 220 CE

  1. Song of White HairZhuo Wenjun (traditionally attributed)White as snow upon the mountain, bright as the moon between the clouds.
  2. Song of Lament (Zhaojun's Lament)Wang ZhaojunThe autumn trees grow lush, yet their leaves wither and yellow. There is a bird that dwells in the mountains, gathered upon the thick mulberry.
  3. Han Yuefu · Southeast the Peacocks FlyAnonymous (Han–Wei folk yuefu)You should be as the solid rock, I as the supple reed; the reed is tough as silk, the rock shall never move.
  4. Han Yuefu · Long Song (Time Flees Like Rivers)Anonymous (Han yuefu)A hundred rivers flow east to the sea, when will they return west? If you strive not in youth, you will grieve in vain in age.
  5. Han Yuefu · Jiangnan (Gathering Lotus)Anonymous (Han lotus pickers)Jiangnan is ripe for gathering lotus, how lush are the lily pads! Fish play among the lotus leaves.
  6. Han Yuefu · Mulberries by the PathAnonymous (Han folk yuefu)The Prefect asked Luofu: 'Would you care to ride with me?' Luofu stepped forward and replied: 'How foolish is my Lord! You have your own wife, and Luofu has her own husband!'
  7. Han Yuefu · At Fifteen Conscripted into the ArmyAnonymous (a Han veteran)Conscripted at fifteen to campaign, at eighty I finally return. On the road I meet a villager: 'Who remains in my household?' 'Look yonder where your home stands—graves beneath pines and cypresses cluster row upon row.'
  8. Han Yuefu · By HeavenAnonymous (a woman of the Han)By Heaven! I yearn to love you and be your soulmate, for a lifetime without end or waning. When mountains flatten into plains, when great rivers run dry, when winter roars with thunder, when summer falls with snow, when Heaven and Earth unite as one—only then would I dare part from you!
  9. Han Yuefu · One I Yearn ForAnonymous (a woman of the Han)There is one I yearn for, far beyond the southern sea. What gift shall I send him? A tortoiseshell hairpin with twin pearls, wrapped with fine jade cords. Hearing you have turned your heart to another, I shatter and burn it to ash. Shatter and burn it, casting its ashes into the wind!
  10. Han Yuefu · Battle South of the CityAnonymous (Han guchui music)Battling south of city walls, dying north of ramparts; dying untended in the wilds, for ravens to feast upon. Pray tell the ravens for me: 'Weep first for the fallen traveler! Left unburied in the wilderness, how could my rotten flesh flee from your beak?'
  11. Song of Harmonious AccordZhang HengI wish to be the rush mat, lying below to cover the square bed. I wish to be the silk quilt and curtain, above to shield you from wind and frost.
  12. Ballad of Resentment · The Round FanLady Ban (Ban Jieyu)Freshly sheared fine white silk from Qi, spotless and pure as frost and snow, tailored into an joined fan shaped round as the full moon. Carried in my lord's sleeves to stir gentle breezes; yet ever fearing the arrival of autumn chill, discarded into the chest when love is severed halfway.
  13. Two Qin Songs (The Phoenix Seeks His Mate)Sima Xiangru (traditionally attributed)O phoenix, O phoenix, returning to his old home, who roamed the four seas seeking his mate.
  14. Song of the GraveyardCao CaoWhite bones lie exposed in the fields; for a thousand li no cock crows.

Three Kingdoms

7 works

220–280

  1. A Short SongCao CaoMountains never tire of their height, nor seas of their depth. Emulate Duke of Zhou in welcoming talent, and the world will unite.
  2. Gazing Across the Vast SeaCao CaoThe journeys of sun and moon seem to issue from its depths; the brilliant galaxy appears to rise from within.
  3. Song of Yan · Part 1 (Autumn Winds Bleak)Cao PiThe bright moon illuminates my bed, the Milky Way flows west before the night ends. The Cowherd and Weaver gaze from afar: what guilt bars them behind the heavenly stream?
  4. The White HorseCao ZhiHe gives his life to meet the nation's peril, and looks on death as going home.
  5. The Fair MaidenCao ZhiThe fair maiden is lovely and serene, picking mulberry leaves where the roads fork.
  6. Eighteen Songs of a Nomad FluteCai Yan (Cai Wenji) (traditionally attributed)When I was born the world was still at peace; after my birth the fortunes of Han declined.
  7. Song by the PondLady Zhen (traditionally attributed)Many mouths can melt even gold: they made you part from me.

Northern and Southern

6 works

420–589

  1. Han & Northern Yuefu · Ballad of MulanAnonymous (Northern Dynasties folk song)Ten thousand miles marching to war, crossing passes swift as flight. Chill air rings the watch clapper, cold light shines on armor. Generals die in a hundred battles, warriors return after ten years.
  2. Song of the Chile PlainsAnonymous (Northern Dynasties folk song)The Chile Plains beneath Mount Yinshan. The sky is like a grand yurt canopy covering all four wildernesses. The blue heaven is boundless, the vast wilderness unending—the wind blows, grass bends low, and cattle and sheep appear.
  3. Song of the Western IsletAnonymous (Southern Dynasties folk song)Gathering lotus in South Pond in autumn, lotus blossoms rise taller than human heads. Bending low to play with lotus seeds, seeds as crystal-clear as water. If the south wind knows my heart, blow my dreams across to the Western Islet.
  4. Song of the Water in the RiverXiao Yan (Emperor Wu of Liang) (traditionally attributed)What more in life could wealth and rank hope for? My regret is not having married Wang next door to the east.
  5. The Shrike Flies EastXiao Yan (traditionally attributed)The shrike flies east, the swallow west; the Herd-boy and the Weaving Girl meet only at their season.
  6. Song of the Roosting CrowsXiao GangAt the singing house in the tall tree the crows would roost; the silk curtains and kingfisher hangings are lowered for you.