Eighteen Songs of a Nomad Flute: Poems 13-18

[x_los]

 This week, we're reading poems 13-18 in, and thus finishing up, this collection. Because of the nature of the book in question, I'll ask you to refer here for Chinese and English copies of the poems and the images together.

You can view the scroll as a whole more easily and read some background on the Met's website; the Wiki page will also help orient you. In case it's useful, here is a plain-text version of the scroll. 

This is the final week we'll be spending on this poem cycle. Please check the previous two entries if you'd like further background information.

Comments

Re: 13. The Farewell

[x_los]

Crane Wife vibes?

Does she actually have any choice re going or staying?

Arguably her adult male children could seek her out and come live as Chinese citizens off her patrimony?

And can no one really send a letter, ever?

Other than the hair, the artist hasn’t made any big effort to present these subjects as ‘racially distinct’ from the Han emissaries 

Covered qin AGAIN

Re: 13. The Farewell

[superborb]

I suppose her children are sons of a high ranking member of the Xiongnu, so probably not able to move freely into Han China? Also wiki seems to say that during this time period ish, the Xiongnu are relatively less powerful than they had been, but probably any news between them would be politically inflected?