Lu Ji (Wade-Giles: Lu Chi, 261-303 CE) was a poet, not a theorist, at least insofar as we understand the term today. His Wen Fu (Rhapsody on Literature), however, remains one of the key texts in classical Chinese literary thought. In it, Lu Ji presents the process of writing in quasi-metaphysical terms, discusses certain technical aspects of the writer’s craft, and laments the elusive nature of inspiration. The poem’s date of composition is uncertain, probably somewhere between the years 280 and 300. What does seem certain, however, is that Lu Ji wrote nothing else like it throughout the rest of his career.

The fu form – variously translated as rhapsody, rhymeprose, and poetic exposition – is essentially a verse essay on a premeditated topic, sometimes including a prose preface, sometimes not. Fu tend to be highly baroque and allusive, and the Wen Fu is no exception. I have generally not provided glosses, notes or alternative readings, preferring to let the text stand as it is; to readers who want such things, I recommend David R. Knechtges’ translation in his Wen Xuan (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, c1982-c1996, vol. 3, pp. 211-232) or Stephen Owen’s detailed commentary in his Readings in Chinese Literary Thought (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1992, pp. 73-181). Either of those will do the job far better than I can.

text of Rhapsody on Literature | index of translations