“Rhapsody on the Mouth Organ” by Pan Yue: Music as catharsis

Abstract

The aim of the research is to determine the main features of the poetics and musical concept of the “Rhapsody on the Mouth Organ” by the famous Chinese poet of the 3rd century AD Pan Yue. This work is necessary for understanding his life and writings and is one of the classical examples of fu about musical instruments in Chinese literature. The paper provides a rubricated translation of the work with explanations, analyses its composition, considers the main poetical and aesthetic views of the author. The research is novel in that it is the first not only in Russian, but also in Western Sinology to choose this fu by Pan Yue as the subject of a special comprehensive study covering various aspects of its structure and content. In addition, it is the first time that the work has been translated into Russian. As a result of the research, the features of the composition of this fu have been revealed, its critical pathos in combination with an elegiac motif has been determined, the cultural and aesthetic attributes of the mouth organ as a means of emotional catharsis have been identified, the significance of the work in the elegiac tradition of China has been established.