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Said to be deriving from the rhymed riddles of the Confucian philosopher Xunzi, the prose-poetry fu is the result of the florid debates and speeches of the diplomats and rhetoricians of the Warring States period (as collected, for example, in the Zhanguoce), but also of the southern ci 辭 or sao 騷 poetry style that tells events and feelings of the author. During Han Dynasty there is still no clear distinction between the sao and the fu in number of syllables, length of the poems, and the typical verse divider xi 兮. The earliest specimen of fu is Jia Yi's 賈宜 (d. 168 BC) "Rhaposdy of the Owl". Other Han Dynasty fu poets were Mei Sheng 枚乘 (d. 140 BC), Sima Xiangru 司馬相如 (d.118 BC; he became a model poet for fu poetry), Yang Xiong 揚雄 (53-18) and Ban Gu 班固 (32-92; the author of the History of Han Hanshu). The main themes of Han fu poetry are tales about capital cities, offerings, hunts, historical events, animals, and so on. This kind of descriptive fu tends to be lengthy and is frequently constructed in the form of a dialogue between court poems that was submitted to the throne as a kind of offering, line Sima Xiangru's "Offerings to Heaven and Earth". The last great Han fu poet was Cai Yong 蔡雍 (132-192). With the redrawal of the scholar elite from governmental offices, the themes of their poetry also changed to more contemplating themes. People sought their consolation in Taoism, like the poets Cao Zhi 曹植 (192-232), Wang Can 王粲 (177-217) and Chen Lin 陳琳 (d. 217). The fu poetry of the Six Dynasties period is short and descriptive, and the topics range widely, but in general later fu rhapsodies express the author's philosophical attitude to life, life the rhapsodies of Pan Yue 潘岳 (247-300). The upcoming of new poetry types during Tang Dynasty (shi 詩 poetry) contributed to the vanishing of fu prose-poetry after the 6th century although there were still Song Dynasty writers like Ouyang Xiu and Su Shi that wrote fu style poems, but these writings are more seen as essays than as poems.
Source: Zhongguo da baike quanshu, Zhongguo lishi
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Exemplarious translation:
賈宜鵩鳥賦
單閼之歲兮 四月孟夏，
庚子日斜兮 鵩集予舍
止于坐隅 貌甚閒暇。
異物來集兮 私怪其故。
發書占之兮 筴讖言其度。
曰：「野鳥入處兮 主人將去。」
請問于服兮 「予去何之，
吉乎告我，凶言其菑。
淹速之度兮 語予其期。」
服乃歎息，舉首奮翼。
口不能言，請對以意。
萬物變化兮 固無休息。
斡流而遷兮 或推而還。
形氣轉續兮 變化而嬗。
沕穆無窮兮 胡可勝言。
禍兮 福所倚福兮
禍所伏，憂喜聚門兮 吉凶同域。
彼吳彊大兮 夫差以敗。
越棲會稽兮 句踐霸世。
斯游遂成兮 卒被五刑，
傅說胥靡兮 乃相武丁。
夫禍之與福兮 何異糾纆。
命不可說兮 孰知其極。 |
13. Rhapsodies VII, Animals A: 1. The Rhapsody of the Owl by Jia Yi (d. 168 BC)
Translated by Burton Watson.
In the year of dan'e, fourth month, first month of summer (June 174 BC), on the day guizi, when the sun was low in the west, an owl came to my lodge
and perched on the corner of my mat, phlegmatic and fearless. Secretly wondering the reason the strange thing had come to roost,
I sought a book to divine it, and the oracle told me its secret: "Wild bird enters the hall; the master will soon depart."
I asked and importuned the owl, "Where must I go? Do you bring me luck? Then tell me! Misfortune? Relate what desaster!
Must I depart so swiftly? Then speak to me of the hour!"
The owl breathed a sigh, and beat its wings. Its beak coult utter no word, but let me tell you that it sought to say:
All things alter and change; never a moment of ceasing. Revolving, whirling, and rolling away; driven far off and returning again;
form and breath passing onward, like the mutations of a cicada. Profound, subtle, and illimitable, who can finish describing it?
Good luck must be followed by bad; bad in turn bow to good. Sorrow and joy throng the gate; weal and woe in the same land.
The state of Wu was powerful and great; under king Fucha (r. 496-473) it sank in defeat. The state of Yue was crushed at Guaiji, but king Goujian (r. 496-465) made it an overlord.
Li Si, the chancellor of Qin, who went forth to greatness, at last suffered the five mutilations. Fu Yue was sent into bondage, yet king Wuding of Shang made him his aide.
Thus fortune and disaster entwine like the strands of a rope. Fate cannot be told of, for who shall know its ending? [...]
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且夫天地為鑪兮 造化為工。陰陽為炭兮 萬物為銅。
至人遺物兮 獨與道俱。眾人或或兮 好惡積意。
真人淡漠兮 獨與道息。寥廓忽荒兮 與道翱翔。
乘流則逝兮 得坻則止。縱軀委命兮 不私與己。
其生若浮兮 其死若休。澹乎若深淵之靜，氾乎若不繫之舟。
不以生故自寶兮 養空而浮。德人無累兮 知命不憂。
細故蒂芥兮 何足以疑。
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Heaven and Earth are the furnace, the workman, the Creator; his coal is the yin and yang, his copper, all things of creation [...]
The Perfect Man abandons things and joins himself to the Dao alone, while the multitudes in delusion with desire and hate load their hearts.
Limpid and still, the True Man finds his peace in the Dao alone. Transcendent, destroying self, vast and empty, swift and wild, he soars on wings of the Dao.
Borne on the flood he sails forth; he rests on the river islets. Frecing his body to Fate, unpartaking of self,
his life is floating, his death is a rest. In stillness like the stillness of deep springs, like an unmoored boat drifting aimlessly,
valuing not the breath of life, he embraces and drifts with Nothing. Comprehending Fate and free of sorrow, the Man of Virtue heeds no bonds.
Petty matters, weeds and thorns - what are they to me?
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司馬長卿封禪文
大漢之德，逢涌原泉，沕潏曼羨，旁魄四塞，雲布霧散，上暢九垓，下泝八埏．懷生之類，沾濡浸潤，協氣橫流，武節猋逝，邇狹遊原，遐闊泳末，首惡鬱沒，晻昧昭晰，昆蟲闓澤，迴首面內．然後囿騶虞之珍群，徼麋鹿之怪獸，導一莖六穗於庖，犧雙觡共柢之獸，獲周餘珍放龜于岐，招翠黃乘龍於沼．
於是大司馬進曰：「陛下仁育群生，義征不譓，諸夏樂貢，百蠻執贄，德侔往初，功無與二，休烈浹 洽，符瑞眾變，期應紹至，不特創見．意泰山梁甫設壇場望幸，蓋號以況榮，陛下謙讓而弗發，挈三神 之歡．
自我天覆，雲之油油．甘露時雨，厥壤可遊．滋液滲漉，何生不育！嘉穀六穗，我穡曷蓄﹖
宛宛黃龍，興德而升．采色炫燿，煥炳煇煌．正陽顯見，覺悟黎蒸．
於傳載之，云受命所乘．厥之有章，不必諄諄．依類託寓，喻以封巒．
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Mandates through prophetic signs: 1. Offerings to Heaven and Earth by Sima Xiangru (Sima Changqing, d. 118 BC)
[...] The virtuous deeds of the great Han Dynasty (208 BC-8 AD) are like water bubbling from its well and never ceasing flows all around, filling everything between the nine heaven's borders and the eight shores of the earth, like a cloud veil and scattered fog. All living beings are wettened and moistened by her virtue, peacefully and richly; the martial virtue of Han spreads to the far borders; everything near drifts to its sources, everything far is floating upon its flood. Bad people vanish, and the dark ones experience Han's cultivation. The dragons joyfully face the emperor of Han. Later on, miraculous animals like the Zouyu tiger and the David's deer "unicorn" were kept in the imperial gardens; a grain plant with six ears was offered, and a miraculous beast was sacrified, having two corns sprouting from one single base. A wonderful turtle was caught, once risen by the kings of Zhou in the ponds at Qishan mountains. In the swamps, an emerald yellow dragon horse was found, (once ridden by the Yellow Emperor). [...]
Therefore the Great Marshal Sima Xiangru proposes: Your Majesty had educated people with humaneness, and with righteousness you lead back the unfaithful. The lords offer their gifts with greatest joy, and the barbarians likely present their tributes. The virtue of Han is well comparable with the virtue of the ancient kings, and her merits find no counterpart. Their noble deeds flow ceaselessly, and omina of good fortune succeed one to another, not solitary and separated, but unbroken until their time has come. Therefore, one could suppose that your Majesty is given a clue to climb Mount Taishan and Liangfu Peak personally to make sacrifices on the altars of Heaven and Earth by yourself, to pray for glory and honor. Otherwise, the three deities of Heaven would lose their interest in the Han dynasty, if you would be too modest and not accept the challenge to climb these mountains. [...]
Since Heaven has given its mandate to Han, clouds are drifting white in blue,
sweet rain comes down, makes blooming the vast land over all,
sprinkles, wettens, pours, refreshes; all life sprouts around.
Grain, one stalk, six ears, we shall harvest eternally [...]
Yellow dragon squirms along, rising like the perfect virtue,
shining colored, dazzling, glaring, splendid, powerful.
He resembles the shining sun, wakening up all people,
and the books report to us: "Heaven gives mandate once more!"
If Heaven wants to speak, it does not use many words,
but omina are Heaven's expression, if it further accepts offering. [...]
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兩 都 賦 by 班 孟 堅...
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Translated by Ulrich Theobald, unless indicated. Apologies for my bad English.
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Chinese literature according to the four-category system
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