The audio below contains readings from two sections of Sources of Japanese Tradition Volume II. In the first section Okawa Shumei gives his belief that Japan is destined to lead Asia. In the second Hashimoto Kingoro explains Japan's need to expand her borders while using Western imperialism as a basis to justify Japan's own.
The first audio is an incomplete recording of an excerpt of Hsu Chih-mo's The Cambridge I Knew, a romantic account of Hsu's memories of Cambridge —a place he dearly misses. This essay contains many vibrant descriptions of the lush scenery in Cambridge, especially along the River Cam which Hsu describes his humorous attempts to sail down. Unfortunately I couldn't finish the recording because I'm currently feeling unwell, and my throat began to hurt with only two pages left to read.
The second audio is a recording of Hsu's famous poem Second Farewell to Cambridge. My friend told me that the poem was written while Hsu journeyed home on a ship. It was originally conceived during a rushed excursion to Cambridge; finding himself alone, Hsu reminisced over his prior stay in the town while revisiting its verdant meadows.
Both pieces are from the book Anthology of Chinese Literature Volume 2: From the 14th Century to the Present Day [edited by Cyril Birch; published by Grove Press; 1972 edition]. I do not know the translators of either text.
The audio below is a reading of the introduction to the fifth chapter of Sources of Japanese Tradition Volume 1 [Columbia University Press; 1968 Edition]. It provides an account of how Buddhism first made its way into Japan, its quick death, and the glowing revival shortly after its initial disappearance. The text also delves into the aspects of Buddhism that the Japanese people found appealing, as well as the popular sects that it blossomed into. It ends by describing the ways in which it influenced Japan's rulers, and, thus, the laws of the land.
The audio below is a reading of a section called 'Birth of the Land' from the book Sources of Japanese Tradition Volume 1 [Columbia University Press; 1968 Edition]. It is an adaption of Japan's creation myth as described in William George Aston's 1896 translation of Nihongi, or The Chronicles of Japan. It describes the creation of Japan through the bonding of the brother and sister pair, Izanagi no Mikoto and Izanami no Mikoto. It has been a good while since I saw Shohei Imamura's epic film Profound Desires of the Gods, but I recall incest being taboo amongst the islanders in it since the act was seen as an affront to the brother/sister deities who gave birth to the islands of Japan, as though it were a feckless attempt at impersonating them. There are many more variations of this story that are included in The Chronicles; the one which this version is adapted from is the most complete, and is also the first given.
The audio below is a reading of a section called 'The Sacred Duty of the Historian' from the book Sources of Chinese Tradition Volume 1 [Columbia University Press; 1960 Edition]. It consists of a letter which the castrated "Lord Grand Historian" Sima Qian (司馬遷) penned to enlighten a friend on his refusal to face death despite the humiliating alternative set before him by Emperor Wu. He explains that he chose to live as a eunuch in order to continue his writing, so he can proceed to live eternally in the minds of succeeding generations. The audio begins with an introduction from Ban Gu's (班固) Book of Han which provides further context.
P.S. I have no idea how to pronounce Chinese names.
Li Ling was sent into barbarian territory leading an army of 5,000 men to fight against nomadic tribes up in the North. The campaign was successful at the beginning but it was followed by total disaster: a combination of heavy casualties, shortage of weapons and food, and a lack of reinforcements forced general Li Ling to surrender. Emperor Wu was furious; the way he saw things, there were only two possible outcomes for generals - either to win or die trying. The courtiers supported Emperor Wu, however, Sima Qian had a different view. He reminded the Emperor about Li Ling’s past achievements and claimed that, by surrendering, Li Ling was still able to serve the Emperor, something that only the living could do. After hearing Sima’s defence, Emperor Wu was filled with imperial wrath and Sima Qian was charged with “defaming the Emperor”, a crime punishable by death.
During the Han dynasty, it was customary for officials charged of high crimes either to commit suicide or buy their way out of trouble. Neither option pleased Sima Qian as suicide would mean failing his father and his financial resources were not enough to buy his way out; thus, his sentence was changed to castration. There was no greater disgrace for a man than to be castrated, especially for a childless man, given that the funerary rites in China could only be carried out by one’s son. His afterlife was thus compromised. On top of the shame and endangering his own condition, castration meant that his family life came to an end. Sima Qian paid this high price in order to complete the work he promised to his father and to honour his father's memory.