Whoa, I just found a longer version of the above quote. Perhaps I should have looked a little closer at Zeiser's book in the first place or been less lazy..more typing....
Quote:
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For well over 3,000 years, the Chinese poets never tired of attempting to trap the moment's vision in a net of four lines called the Wu Song. Wu Songs consisted of work songs, folk songs, and love songs. Li Po was one of the primary masters at writing Wu Songs, especially on love. The goal was to paint a passionate, delicate, or even playful word-picture of the beloved and the emotions of the author in just four lines that often seemed decoupled. Yet, there was a feeling of totality or fusion in these two couplets. Wu Songs are not designed for analytical response, but to be experienced as "paintings" that evoke feelings. Wu Songs are similar to haiku since the author must say "everything" in a fleeting moment. In China, these works are truly songs with music set to the written words and are song out loud.
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