Monday, September 25, 2006

The Changes Poems 1-17

This series of poems is very loosely based on the Richard Wilhelm translation of the I Ching, or Book of Changes, one of the oldest Chinese classic texts. ; the I Ching is often used as an oracle of divination (e.g., it was the original "Ouija board").

The book's philosophy centers on the evolution of events as a process, and acceptance of the inevitability of change. The jagged and meandering central philosophy of the poems is another matter entirely, and for the twisting and warping of the I Ching you can only blame the author (and the editor of this s blog, who keeps printing the poems). It remains to be seen whether this series of poems extends to encompass all 64 hexagrams, or fizzles out altogether. . .

Changes One/Action
Changes Two/The Receptive
Changes Three/Trouble Ahead
Changes Four/The Young Shoot
Changes Five/The waiting
Changes Six/Conflict
Changes Seven/The Army
Changes Eight/Holding Together
Changes Nine/The taming power of the small
Changes Ten/treading
Changes Eleven/Peace
Changes twelve/standing still
Changes 13/Fellowship
Changes 14/Possession
Changes 15/The Armies Of The Night
Changes 16/Enthusiasm, or, the king begins to falter
Changes 17/Following
---o0o---

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