Chinese Rhyme Prose

Download or read book Chinese Rhyme Prose written by Burton Watson and published by The Chinese University of Hong Kong Press. This book was released on 2015-01-15 with total page 172 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The fu, or rhymeprose, is a major poetic form in Chinese literature, most popular between the 2nd century b.c. and 6th century a.d. Unlike what is usually considered Chinese poetry, it is a hybrid of prose and rhymed verse, more expansive than the condensed lyrics, verging on what might be called Whitmanesque. The thirteen long poems included here are descriptions of and meditations on such subjects as mountains and abandoned cities, the sea and the wind, owls and goddesses, partings and the idle life.