Quick Read of Chu Ci - Melancholy Songs by the River Bank

Author: Lü Zhenghui
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-01-01
Features: The books selected here are ones you will need to read at least once in your lifetime, whether you are ten, thirty, or seventy years old! A minimalist reading list of Chinese culture. From the vast collection of ancient classics, sixty classics have been chosen for the first time to be presented in an easy and enjoyable reading format, fully showcasing the style and appearance of Chinese culture over five thousand years. A renowned authority on Chinese classics in Taiwan reevaluates the classics with a 21st-century perspective, traversing time and space, guiding you into the "unfenced museum of Chinese culture."
If there is a person in the mountain's bend,
Adorned with fig leaves and bound with mulberry vines,
With glancing eyes and a charming smile,
You adore me for my grace and beauty.
Riding a crimson leopard, followed by a leopard with patterns,
The car is adorned with magnolia and the flag is woven with cassia.
Clad in orchids and bound with asarum,
I pluck fragrant herbs and present them to the one I adore.
The book Chuci contains two main themes. First, it reflects the spirit of the Chu culture, a major branch of Chinese culture. Second, it includes one of the great achievements of Chu culture—the works of the poet Qu Yuan. These are the two key focuses of this book. The book is divided into two parts, each introducing Chu culture and the poet Qu Yuan, respectively.
The writing style adopted in this book is as follows: each line of the original text is followed by annotations to that line, and then a translation of the entire paragraph. This allows readers to grasp the meaning of each paragraph at a glance. Unlike other ancient books, where the original text is presented first, followed by all the annotations, and then the translation, this approach makes reading Chuci more accessible.
Additionally, for a small portion where the literary value of the original text is not particularly high and the content is the main focus, we translate directly into colloquial language without including the original text or annotations. In both the original text with annotations and translations, as well as the colloquial translations alone, there will be some overall explanations at appropriate times. These explanations vary in length but are primarily intended to help readers understand the meaning and spirit of the original work.