Li Sao · A Musical Journey in Ten Chapters

From ancestry and fragrant plants to a search through the heavens and a glimpse of home, follow ten connected stages in the poem’s order. No musical vocabulary is required: begin with one line.

One after another, back to the top at the end — until you stop it. Tap any song to carry on from there.

Tap any song to play

1. 1Li Sao 01 · Ancestry and a NameNames and ancestry open the journey. Fragrant plants express an ideal of character, while
2. 2Li Sao 02 · A Garden of OrchidsLoyalty meets misunderstanding, yet the planting continues. The garden becomes both a land
3. 3Li Sao 03 · No Regret, Even in DeathGrief for others meets rumour and an insistence on integrity. Read the hurt and the choice
4. 4Li Sao 04 · Clothed in LotusLotus leaves and blossoms become clothing for an inner conviction. A relative’s counsel br
5. 5Li Sao 05 · A Mirror in Earlier RulersThe rise and fall of ancient rulers becomes a mirror for the present: whom to trust, how t
6. 6Li Sao 06 · Seeking Above and BelowA statement of conviction opens into a journey through the heavens. Sun, wind, cloud and b
7. 7Li Sao 07 · Searching at the Jade TerraceJourneys and searches change direction, but hoped-for encounters repeatedly fail. Read the
8. 8Li Sao 08 · Counsel from Lingfen and WuxianLingfen and Wuxian offer counsel: the world is wide, and one place need not hold every hop
9. 9Li Sao 09 · When Orchids ChangeOrchids lose their fragrance, and familiar ideals appear altered. Returning to the ornamen
10. 10Li Sao 10 · Departure and the Glimpse of HomeDragons and cloud banners carry the journey outward, until a glimpse of home arrests it. T