Rhapsodies · LT402

Short Rhapsodies

Intimate, lyrical short rhapsodies reflecting personal melancholy and beauty.

18works

4dynasties

14authors

Han

5 works

202 BCE – 220 CE

  1. Rhapsody on Returning to the FieldsZhang HengNow it is the fine month of mid-spring; the season is mild and the air is clear. Plains and wetlands are lush, and all the grasses flourish.
  2. Rhapsody on Expelling PovertyYang XiongOthers all wear embroidery, while my coarse cloth is in tatters. Others all eat rice and millet, while I alone dine on goosefoot.
  3. Rhapsody on the Eastward JourneyBan ZhaoOnly fine virtue does not perish; when the body is gone, the name remains.
  4. Rhapsody on the Scholar's Failure to Meet His TimeDong ZhongshuI was not born in the flourishing of the Three Dynasties, but in the decadent customs of the last ages.
  5. Rhapsody Lamenting the Scholar's Failure to Meet His TimeSima QianTo die unknown to the world is what the ancients felt as shame.

Three Kingdoms

4 works

220–280

  1. Rhapsody on the Goddess of the Luo RiverCao ZhiLight as a startled swan, supple as a swimming dragon, brighter than autumn chrysanthemums, lusher than spring pines.
  2. Rhapsody on Ascending the TowerWang CanThough truly beautiful, it is not my land; how could it be enough to make me stay even a little?
  3. Rhapsody on Secluded LongingCao ZhiI lean on the winding corner of the high terrace, dwelling in secluded, quiet depths.
  4. Rhapsody on Remembering Old FriendsXiang XiuThe beams and roofs remain undestroyed; but where have their bodies and spirits gone?

Jin

4 works

265–420

  1. Return HomeTao YuanmingPast mistakes cannot be undone, yet the future can be pursued. My wrong path went not far: today's choice is right, yesterday's was false.
  2. Rhapsody on Autumn InspirationPan Yue (Pan An)In the fourteenth year of Jin I was thirty-two years old and first saw grey in my hair.
  3. Rhapsody on Roaming Mount TiantaiSun ChuoRed Wall Mountain rises in rosy clouds as a marker, and the waterfall flies down to divide the way.
  4. Rhapsody on the Sheng Mouth OrganPan YueIf in life one cannot enjoy oneself, what use is an empty name in death?

Northern and Southern

5 works

420–589

  1. Rhapsody on a Small GardenYu XinFish of an inch or two, bamboos of two or three stems;
  2. Rhapsody on SpringYu XinIn Yichun Park spring has already come back; in Pixiang Hall spring clothes are being made.
  3. Rhapsody on the Dancing CraneBao ZhaoIt cries clear notes on the red palace steps and dances its flying form in the golden pavilion.
  4. Rhapsody on Gathering LotusXiao YiThen the charming youths and lovely maidens, rowing their boats, give their hearts.
  5. Rhapsody on a Wanderer's Wife's Autumn LongingXiao YiIn autumn, what moon is not clear? With the moon, what autumn is not bright?