Lu Ji (Shiheng)

“1991 translation of the Wen fu”

“Through letters there is no road too distant to travel, no idea too confusing to be ordered.It comes like rain from clouds; it renews the vital spirit.Inscribed on bronze and marble, it honours every virtue; it sings through flute and strings, and every day is made newer.”

“The dark inside of the mind lies hidden; thoughts must be brought like a child from the womb, terrified and screaming.”

“We hear the jade bell's laughter and think it laughs at us; for the poet there is terror in the dust.”

“We carry the bucket from the well, but it is soon again empty.”

“The sleeves of dancers move with the melodies; the voices of singers rise and fall with the music.P'ien the Wheelwright tried to explain it, but couldn't; nor can the artificial flowers of critics describe it.”

“A single note from the lute, however beautiful, is not music.”

“There are no new ideas, only those which rhyme with certain classics.”

“However the sentences branch and spread, they grow out of well-placed phrases.”

“Knowing order is like opening a dam in the river.Not knowing is like grabbing the tail to direct the head of the dragon.”

“Caught between the unborn and the living, the writer struggles to maintain both depth and surface.”

“It is like following a branch to find the trembling leaves, like following a stream to find the spring.”

“He learns to recite the classics; he sings in the clear fragrance of the old mastersHe explores the treasures of the classics where form and content join.”

“When cutting an axe handle with an axe, surely the model is at hand.”

“This may be easy to know, but it is difficult to put in practice.”