Rhapsodies · LT404

Prose Rhapsodies

Philosophical and landscape rhapsodies infused with fluid prose syntax.

9works

2dynasties

6authors

Tang

5 works

618–907

  1. Rhapsody on the Epang PalaceDu MuThe men of Qin had no time to mourn themselves, so later generations mourn them; but if later generations mourn them without taking warning, they will only make still later generations mourn them in turn.
  2. Rhapsody on the Great PengLi BaiLashing the water for three thousand li, it rears up; heading for ninety thousand li, it races on its way.
  3. Rhapsody on the Bright Hall · ExcerptLi BaiLofty and vaulted is the Bright Hall, opening against the sky!
  4. Rhapsody on the Plum BlossomSong Jing (traditionally attributed)Alone it strides through early spring, keeping its nature whole.
  5. Seeing Off the Ghosts of PovertyHan YuEverything that makes my face hateful and my words tasteless is your doing.

Song

4 works

960–1279

  1. First Rhapsody on the Red CliffSu ShiLodging like mayflies between heaven and earth, tiny as a single grain in the vast ocean. Lamenting the transience of our brief life, envying the unending flow of the Great Yangtze. Only the clear breeze over the river and the bright moon among mountains: when ear hears it, it becomes sound; when eye meets it, it becomes color. Taking without prohibition, using without exhaustion—this is the boundless inexhaustible treasury of the Creator.
  2. Rhapsody on the Sounds of AutumnOuyang XiuGrasses and trees have no feelings, yet in their season they wither and fall.
  3. Latter Rhapsody on the Red CliffSu ShiThe river surged with audible currents, the sheer bluffs rose a thousand feet; the mountains loomed high beneath a diminutive moon, and as the waters receded, jagged rocks emerged. How brief the passage of days and months, yet the landscape is transformed beyond recognition!
  4. Rhapsody on the Singing CicadaOuyang XiuI did not know what creature it was; its name was the cicada.