Selected Poems of Chu Ci

Author: Qu Yuan (Chu State during the Warring States Period) / Selected and annotated by Ma Maoyuan
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1998-08-01
Features: The emergence of the Chuci marked a completely new stage in the development of Chinese classical poetry. Its brilliance, like the radiant sun in a clear sky, illuminated the poetic scene from the late Zhou Dynasty to the early Han Dynasty. It was widely popular and influential, leaving a lasting legacy. Wang Guowei once said: "Every era has its own literature. The Chu Cao (lyric poetry), the Han Fu (rhapsodies), the Six Dynasties' Jiaoyu (elegant prose), the Tang Shi (poetry), the Song Ci (lyrics), and the Yuan Qu (dramatic songs) are all representative literatures of their respective eras, none of which can be surpassed by later generations." The Cao selected in this edition includes fifteen Guofeng (national songs) from the Book of Songs, most of which are Northern folk songs. Their geographical distribution starts from the Wei River Basin and centers around the Yellow River Basin, while their periphery also touched the Han and Yangtze Rivers. Both the Yangtze and Han Rivers were part of the Chu State's territory.2 The Guofeng lacks Chu-style songs, and it can be confirmed that only Han Guang and Jiang You Si (from the "Two Souths" collection) are Chu folk songs. Others like Fu Ju, Cao Chong, Xing Lu, and Ye You Si Mu might also be products of the same region. In terms of style, they differ from Northern poetry and stand out with a unique elegance. The era of the "Two Souths" is the early Western Zhou Dynasty, when the Chu State was still in a state of wilderness and unexplored land. From this, we can see the shining starting point of Chu poetry.