Rhapsody & Parallel Prose · LT404

Prose Rhapsodies

Philosophical and landscape rhapsodies infused with fluid prose syntax.

7works

2dynasties

4authors

Tang

618–9073 works
  1. Rhapsody on the Epang PalaceDu MuThose who destroyed the Six States were the Six States themselves, not Qin; that which exterminated Qin was Qin itself, not the people of the world. Qin had no leisure to mourn for itself, but posterity mourns it; if posterity mourns it yet fails to take it as a warning, they will only cause later posterity to mourn them in turn!
  2. Rhapsody on the Great PengLi BaiThe Great Peng will one day rise alongside the wind, soaring straight up ninety thousand li! Even if the wind subsides and it descends, it can still overturn the waters of the vast ocean, churning three thousand li of roaring waves and stirring ninety thousand li of soaring clouds!
  3. Rhapsody on the Bright Hall · ExcerptLi BaiMagnificent is the Bright Hall, crowning antiquity beyond compare! Its colossal design overwhelms Kunlun, soaring high into layered skies, rooted deep into massive earth. Nine tiers thrown open, ten thousand nations arrive in tribute.

Song

960–12794 works
  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 XiuPlants have no feeling, yet shed in appointed seasons. Man is a sentient creature, the crown of all life; yet hundreds of anxieties stir his heart and myriad affairs toil his body—no wonder rosy cheeks wither like dried wood, and jet-black hair turns to scattered stars!
  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 XiuDrinking pure dew to remain unstained, perching on high boughs to keep aloof. Singing of autumn sorrow to move human hearts, vibrant echoes tragic and clear. Alas, tiny creature, for what purpose do you pour out your song?