Rhapsodies · LT401

Grand Han Rhapsodies

Monumental descriptive rhapsodies celebrating imperial capitals, hunts, and palaces.

28works

4dynasties

12authors

Zhou

7 works

1046–221 BCE

  1. Rhapsody on the WindSong YuWind is born of the earth and rises from the tips of the green duckweed.
  2. Rhapsody on Master Dengtu the LecherSong YuWere she one fen taller she would be too tall, one fen shorter too short; with powder she would be too white, with rouge too red.
  3. Rhapsody on the Divine MaidenSong YuHer face is full and dignified, wrapped in the warm lustre of jade.
  4. Rhapsody on GaotangSong YuAt dawn I am the morning cloud; at dusk I am the passing rain. Morning after morning, evening after evening, below the Yang Terrace.
  5. Far RoamingQu YuanI thought how Heaven and Earth are without end, and grieved at the long toil of human life. Those who have gone I cannot reach; those still to come I shall not hear.
  6. Summoning the SoulSong Yu (traditionally attributed)The eye reaches a thousand li, and spring wounds the heart. O soul, come back! Pity the land south of the Jiang!
  7. The Great SummonsJing Cha (traditionally attributed)O soul, come back, to joys beyond words!

Han

19 works

202 BCE – 220 CE

  1. Rhapsody Mourning Qu YuanJia YiThe luan and the phoenix hide and flee, while owls soar on high.
  2. Rhapsody on the OwlJia YiHeaven and earth are the furnace, creation is the smith; yin and yang are the charcoal, all things the bronze.
  3. Rhapsody of Master VoidSima XiangruI have heard that Chu has seven marshes; I have seen one of them but never the rest.
  4. Rhapsody on the Imperial Shanglin ParkSima XiangruVast and broad, eight rivers part and flow, turning their backs on one another in differing forms.
  5. Rhapsody on the Long Gate PalaceSima Xiangru (traditionally attributed)Suddenly I fall asleep and dream, and in spirit my lord seems to be at my side.
  6. Rhapsody on the Feathered HuntYang XiongBanners that swept the sky were raised and pennants that brushed the stars trailed behind;
  7. Rhapsodies on the Two CapitalsBan GuThe rhapsody is a stream that flows from the ancient Odes.
  8. Rhapsodies on the Two MetropolisesZhang HengRefined in thought and carefully composed, it took ten years to complete.
  9. Rhapsody on the Great ManSima XiangruIn the world there is a Great Man, who dwells in the Central Land. Though his estate stretches ten thousand li, it cannot hold him even for a while.
  10. Lament for the Second Emperor of QinSima XiangruHe was not careful in his conduct, and so lost his state and his power. He trusted slander and never awoke, and his ancestral temple was destroyed.
  11. Rhapsody on a BeautySima Xiangru (traditionally attributed)That is like guarding against fire by standing in water, or avoiding drowning by keeping to a mountain corner: they had never seen what might tempt them, so how could that prove they were not fond of women?
  12. Rhapsody on the Ganquan PalaceYang XiongThen the great halls, shifting like clouds and strange as waves, rise in towering heaps into lookout towers.
  13. Lament for Broken FaithJia Yi (traditionally attributed)If the qilin could be haltered and tied, how would it differ from dogs and sheep?
  14. Rhapsody on HedongYang XiongStanding by the river envying the fish is not as good as going home to weave a net.
  15. Resolving ObjectionsYang XiongThe great flavour must be bland; the great sound must be faint.
  16. A Rejoinder to Encountering SorrowYang XiongThat sages and wise men meet no fitting time is simply part of fate.
  17. Rhapsody on the DanceFu YiBodies like swimming dragons, sleeves like white rainbows.
  18. Rhapsody Mourning Lady LiEmperor Wu of Han My thoughts flow like waves; the pain is in my heart.
  19. Rhapsody on Contemplating the MysteryZhang HengWithout going out of the door one may know the world; why travel far and toil?