This is another of my favorite Chinese poems (actually the first stanza, but I want to translate it in full).

It is older than the Tang, in fact it dates from the Northen Wei dinasty (386-534 AD) although the original collection it was part of is lost, and the ballad survived in another, much later, opus. I find it remarkable in many ways.

木 兰 辞
Mulan ( Read more... )

I've been enjoying a lot the posts that keep popping up about women warriors, today I saw this study of Red Sonja by Donato Giancola and I almost fell off my chair

Here's the original post on the Muddy Colors blog (well worth following if you love art and illustration, in my opinion).

By the way I've always had a soft spot for studies and sketches ( Read more... )