Biographies of Dongpo's Lyrics: An Annotated Chronicle

Author: Su Shi (Song Dynasty), annotated and commented by Xue Ruisheng
Publisher:
Publication Date: 1998-09-01
Features: The pioneering achievement of Dongpo's Ci poetry is widely recognized, and its influence on later generations is profound. However, annotations on his works are scarce, with only the fragmented manuscript by the Song Dynasty scholar Fu Gan and two other versions preserved. The modern work Dongpo Yuefu An by Long Yusheng is considered detailed and even hailed as one of the three major annotated works on Song Dynasty Ci poetry. Yet, Long's annotations heavily rely on Fu Gan's manuscript, with the chronological arrangement largely following Qiang Cun. Although there are some additions and corrections, as well as occasional corrections of errors by Fu and Zhu, there are still instances where he uncritically adopts inaccuracies from these two sources, which is regrettable. In Dongpo Ci, Long's original annotations include 204 poems, many of which are questionable or not entirely accurate. The Anzheng has corrected dozens of them. Additionally, there are 113 newly dated poems that were previously undated, based on extensive research across various sources, cross-referenced with the poems themselves and Dongpo's life events. As a result, out of the 360 Dongpo Ci poems included in Anzheng, nearly nine-tenths are now chronologically arranged. This alone has undoubtedly contributed significantly to the study of Dongpo's poetry.