Lasting Hymns of Transcendence 鸣鹤余音

Compiled by Peng Zhizhong, a Quanzhen Taoist priest of Xianyou Mountain during the Yuan Dynasty, this work was completed around the seventh year of the Zhizheng reign (1347). It consists of nine volumes and is included in the Taixuan Section of The Daozang.

A preface by Yu Ji, a scholar of the Yuan Dynasty, precedes the text, recounting the origin and compilation process of the book.

Lasting Hymns of Transcendence

The main text extensively collects poems, lyrics, odes, and essays written by Taoists of the Tang, Song, Jin, and Yuan dynasties, totaling about 470 pieces. There are about 40 authors included, most of whom were Taoists of The Quanzhen Dao. These include patriarchs such as Zhongli Quan, Lü Dongbin, Wang Chongyang, Ma Danyang, Qiu Changchun, Hao Taigu, Song Piyun, and Feng Zunshi. Also included are poems by Song Dynasty Taoists such as Langranzi, Master Xu Jing, Xu Shenweng, and Bai Yuchan, as well as poems by emperors and immortals including Emperor Renzong of Song, Heavenly Lord Xin, and the Eight Immortals. Ten poems by Yu Ji are also compiled in the book.

All the collected poems, lyrics, and odes expound the doctrines of Quanzhen. Some lament the impermanence of life and compare the secular world to a pit of fire, exhorting people to leave home and cultivate the Dao. Others express the leisurely delight of withdrawing from the world and dwelling in forests and springs. Still others analyze profound principles, illuminate mind and nature, and sing of the essentials of cultivating the mind and awakening to one’s nature. Among them, works explaining Internal Alchemy are the most numerous.

Several essays promoting the mysterious tradition and religious rules are appended at the end of the book.