Rhapsodies on Midiexiang: Jian'an Period Reflections on an Exotic Plant from Rome

Abstract

At the end of the Han dynasty, a group of five rhapsodies were produced by some of the most important poets of the day, celebrating the presence of plants from the Roman Empire in the gardens of Cao Pi, the future first emperor of the Wei dynasty. Previously when these poems have been studied, it has been in the context of straightforward appreciation of their subject's scent and beauty. However, this group of rhapsodies is important for understanding how unfamiliar foreign objects were integrated into literary representations of the elite worldview of the period. In this political reading of the five rhapsodies, the presence of plants brought half-way across the known world in Cao Pi's garden are expressions of privilege and authority. His ownership of these plants is thus linked to earlier literary representations of the acquisition of strange and exotic items: their presence within royal and imperial palaces showed the power and wealth of the collector. Furthermore, in an allegorical reading of these works, Cao Pi's writings show his appreciation of the talents of others, while the works of the poets he patronized express their delight in finding such a congenial environment. This paper includes an annotated translation of each of the five rhapsodies, a discussion of authenticity and the major textual problems, and shows how each of these pieces interrelates with and complements the others.