Thousand Poems

Author: Pan Tianning
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2004-10-01
Features: This book selects 230 poems by 120 poets. In terms of arrangement, it follows the principle of progressing from easy to difficult, arranging them in the order of five-character quatrains, seven-character quatrains, five-character regulated verse, and seven-character regulated verse, breaking the traditional method of the popular Thousand Poems that placed seven-character verse before five-character verse. At the same time, it changes the original Thousand Poems' arrangement, which was roughly organized by seasons, festivals, flowers and bamboo, palaces and halls, insects, and human affairs like a classified book, to arranging the poems in the order of the poets. Since the Thousand Poems is an introductory text, this book adopts three methods—annotations, summaries, and analyses—for explaining each poem: annotations primarily explain words and allusions, removing literal obstacles; summaries mainly outline the main themes and provide a paraphrased translation of the poems; analyses may delve into the meaning of the poems, refine artistic images, summarize artistic techniques, explain the influence of the poems, trace their origins vertically, or compare them horizontally. In short, the goal is to allow readers, after understanding the original poems, to gain tangible benefits beyond mere appreciation. At the end of the book, there is a Biographical Sketches of Poets, so that readers can get a general understanding of the poets. This book selects 230 poems by 120 poets. In terms of arrangement, it follows the principle of progressing from easy to difficult, arranging them in the order of five-character quatrains, seven-character quatrains, five-character regulated verse, and seven-character regulated verse, breaking the traditional method of the popular Thousand Poems that placed seven-character verse before five-character verse. At the same time, it changes the original Thousand Poems' arrangement, which was roughly organized by seasons, festivals, flowers and bamboo, palaces and halls, insects, and human affairs like a classified book, to arranging the poems in the order of the poets. Since the Thousand Poems is an introductory text, this book adopts three methods—annotations, summaries, and analyses—for explaining each poem: annotations primarily explain words and allusions, removing literal obstacles; summaries mainly outline the main themes and provide a paraphrased translation of the poems; analyses may delve into the meaning of the poems, refine artistic images, summarize artistic techniques, explain the influence of the poems, trace their origins vertically, or compare them horizontally. In short, the goal is to allow readers, after understanding the original poems, to gain tangible benefits beyond mere appreciation. At the end of the book, there is a Biographical Sketches of Poets, so that readers can get a general understanding of the poets.