or Master of Lifespans,” there is a twist to the conventional pattern that was being developed. In this song, the god handpicks the shaman; they meet without a word from the god, and following precedent, he abandons the now melancholy shaman. “The Lord of the East” is a description of a shamanistic musical ceremony. There is no romantic meeting or yearning, and the shaman is not left in despair. Instead, the song gives a description of the spirit descending and observes the musicians and their various instruments. The spirit then ascends, shooting an arrow at a star, and drinks some cassia-juice. The spirit then descends again and heads east. “The River God” is an account of an experience the shaman has with Ho-po, the river god. The two ride a boat down the Nine Rivers and the shaman is in an ecstatic state, but is saddened by thoughts of the conclusion of their journey. They go as far as the southern shore, but this is as far as the shaman goes. Ho-po leaves and heads east. The Shaman in the “Mountain Spirit” is convincing herself that the spirit loves her. The shaman has come out on top of the mountain to meet the deity, but it seems as if the spirit is late. The shaman gathers flowers to give the spirit, but alas, the spirit never shows. This is a familiar theme; the shaman is left with the blues. ConclusionsAfter reading works from both anthologies, it is easy to say that there are not many similarities between the two. Themes of the Shijing vary from the history of the Zhou Dynasty, everyday life in the Zhou Dynasty, to political satire and matters of state. Many of the poems have a mythic element to them. The works of the Chuci have a religious/shamanistic tone to them, and the importance of one figure, Qu Yuan, varies. One tradition developed in the North in the 10th through 7th centuries B.C., while the other developed in the South some four centuries later. A commonali...
