Ancient Ballads

Author: Wan Xinbin, selected and annotated
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2004-08-01
Features: Sanqu is a newly emerging poetic form that flourished in China during the Yuan Dynasty. It originated from folk "vulgar ballads and ditties." The characteristics of Sanqu are as follows:
1. Although it shares a certain format with Ci (a classical Chinese poetic form), both having fixed tunes (Ci has Ci pai, Sanqu has Qu pai), and both are sung to music, Sanqu allows the use of supplementary characters (), with no limit to their quantity. These characters are generally used at the beginning of a line or at the head and tail of words, making Sanqu more free and vivid in form, allowing for full expression of emotions and narratives.
2. It uses dense rhymes, with the three tones—level (), rising (), and falling ()—allowed to rhyme together, making the lines flow smoothly and lively.
3. It can incorporate colloquial language and dialects, making it closer to folk speech and easier to sing.
4. In terms of music, it blends tunes from various ethnic groups. Due to the conflict between the Southern Song Dynasty and the Jin and Yuan dynasties, frequent wars in northern regions led to the infusion of new life into poetry from horseback-playing songs transmitted by ethnic groups such as the Khitan, Jurchen, and Mongols. After all, Sanqu is a newly emerging and vibrant poetic form with unique artistic characteristics. Even from the existing partial works, it is not difficult to select pieces that are both ideologically profound and artistically outstanding, possessing charm. The Sanqu selected in this book from the Yuan Dynasty not only pays attention to the historical significance of certain works but also considers their artistic achievements, while also taking into account the diversity of form and style to highlight the vibrant literary phenomenon of this era. It aims to provide readers with knowledge about Sanqu and offer excellent works for appreciation.