The name Gu Le is both fitting and ironic. The character "le", meaning "music," seems to have foretold his des…
The name Gu Le is both fitting and ironic.
The character "le", meaning "music," seems to have foretold his destiny: a life inseparable from the lute.
From start to finish, Gu Le had only one wish: to play the lute for as many people as possible. Woodcutters in the mountains, old women by the roadside, toddlers learning to speak. Strangely, no matter who they were, they all listened silently to his music and smiled in return.
People said he had a gift: the ability to play sounds that everyone could understand.
So he played on until the day the crowds ceased to gather.
The smiles vanished, replaced by panic. No one lingered anymore. They rushed past, their ears deaf to all but screams and sobs.
Gu Le stared blankly in the direction they fled, where billowing smoke rose to the thunder of iron hooves.
War had come, and in its shadow, no one could hear music.
So he packed away his lute, took the hand extended to him, and joined the fight against the Khitan. Alongside those comrades, he would later be known as one of the Eight Talents of Hedong.
After all, from beginning to end, Gu Le had but one wish.