The Songs of Chu : An Ancient Anthology of Works by Qu Yuan and Others.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Qu, Yuan, approximately 343 B.C.-approximately 277 B.C., author.

Contributor:

Sukhu, Gopal.

Series:

Translations from the Asian classics.

Translations from the Asian Classics

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Chinese poetry--Qin and Han dynasties, 221 B.C.-220 A.D.

Chinese poetry.

Chinese poetry--To 221 B.C.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (257 pages).

Place of Publication:

New York, NY : Columbia University Press, [2017]

Language Note:

In English.

Summary:

Sources show Qu Yuan (?340–278 BCE) was the first person in China to become famous for his poetry, so famous in fact that the Chinese celebrate his life with a national holiday called Poet's Day, or the Dragon Boat Festival. His work, which forms the core of the The Songs of Chu, the second oldest anthology of Chinese poetry, derives its imagery from shamanistic ritual. Its shaman hymns are among the most beautiful and mysterious liturgical works in the world. The religious milieu responsible for their imagery supplies the backdrop for his most famous work, Li sao, which translates shamanic longing for a spirit lover into the yearning for an ideal king that is central to the ancient philosophies of China. Qu Yuan was as important to the development of Chinese literature as Homer was to the development of Western literature. This translation attempts to replicate what the work might have meant to those for whom it was originally intended, rather than settle for what it was made to mean by those who inherited it. It accounts for the new view of the state of Chu that recent discoveries have inspired.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction

CHAPTER ONE. Nine Songs Jiuge

CHAPTER TWO. “Leaving My Troubles” “Li sao”

CHAPTER THREE. “Ask the Sky” “Tian wen”

CHAPTER FOUR. Nine Cantos Jiuzhang

CHAPTER FIVE. “Wandering Far Away” “Yuan you”

CHAPTER SIX. “The Diviner” “Bu ju” and “The Fisherman” “Yufu”

CHAPTER SEVEN. Nine Variations Jiubian

CHAPTER EIGHT. “Summoning the Soul” “Zhao hun”

CHAPTER NINE. “The Great Summoning” “Da zhao”

CHAPTER TEN. “Regretting the Vows” “Xi shi”

CHAPTER ELEVEN. “Mourning Qu Yuan” “Diao Qu Yuan” and “The Owl Rhapsody” “Fu fu”

CHAPTER TWELVE. “I Lament It Was Not My Destiny” “Ai shiming”

CHAPTER THIRTEEN. “Calling the Hermit Back” “Zhao yinshi”

Appendix: Dating the Works in the Chuci

Selected Bibliography

Index

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 13. Sep 2017)

ISBN:

9780231166065

0231166060

OCLC:

1023543168