Collection of Zhang Lei (Volume 1 and 2)

Author: Zhang Lei
Publisher:
Publication Date: 1990-07-01
Features: Zhang Lei was an important poet of the late Northern Song Dynasty. During his youth, he studied in Chenzhou and gained recognition from the scholar Su Zhe, thus becoming a disciple of Su Shi. Su Shi praised his writing as "vast and mellow, with a lingering charm that resonates like a song repeated three times." Under Su Shi's guidance, Zhang Lei, Huang Tingjian, Chao Buzhi, and Tai Qian became renowned contemporaries, collectively known as the "Four Scholars of Su's Studio." This book is a collection of various editions of Zhang Lei's works, making it highly valuable for research and collection.
Zhang Lei (1054–1114) was a poet of the Northern Song Dynasty. His courtesy name was Wenqian, and his sobriquet was Ke Mountain. He was originally from Qiao County, Bozhou (now Bo County, Anhui Province) and grew up in Huaiyin, Chu State (now part of Qingjiang, Jiangsu Province). He was one of the "Four Scholars of Su's Studio." From a young age, Zhang Lei was intelligent and could write by the age of 13. He studied under Su Shi and was highly favored by him. In the sixth year of Emperor Shenzong's Xining era (1073), he passed the imperial examination and held various positions, including Assistant Magistrate of Linhuai, Chief of Shou'an, Vice County Magistrate of Xianping, Assistant Academician of the Secretariat, and Compiler of Historical Records. During the early years of Emperor Zhizong, he was appointed as the Directing Secretary of Longge and later became the Prefect of Runzhou. In the early years of Emperor Huizong's Yuanyou era, he passed the imperial examination for court officials and was appointed as a Secretary of the Secretariat, rising to the position of Gentleman of the Chancellery. However, he was accused of being a member of the Yuanyou Faction during the Shaosheng era and was demoted to oversee the wine tax in Huangzhou. He was later transferred to Fuzhou and faced multiple.
After Emperor Huizong ascended the throne, he was appointed as the Assistant Prefect of Huangzhou, the Prefect of Yanzhou, and later recalled as the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices. He soon left to govern the two prefectures of Ying and Yu. Upon learning of Su Shi's death in Yingzhou, he mourned and observed a period of mourning. After Su Shi, Su Zhe, Huang Tingjian, and Chao Buzhi, Zhang Lei remained the sole surviving scholar, and others turned to him for learning.
Zhang Lei's literary style was influenced by the Three Su brothers, emphasizing both substance and form, with a simple and smooth tone. He pioneered the trend of learning from Tang Dynasty poetry in the Southern Song Dynasty. His style was similar to that of Liu Yong and Qin Guan, with representative works such as "Youthful Pastimes" and "Flowers in the Wind." "Youthful Pastimes" depicts the emotions of a young woman, vividly capturing her shy and tender demeanor, leaving readers both envious and adoring. The warmth and beauty of the poem are truly "intense and indissoluble." His excellent lines, such as "Washing the well to dispel midday wine, sweeping the flowers to sit in evening cool," "Midnight rain in the valley, cold at five o'clock in autumn," and "Green waves with sound as yellow hats move, spring breeze weak as colorful banners hang," are highly praised.
His creative achievements were primarily in poetry, with over 30 volumes of folk poems and classical poems, totaling nearly 1,700 poems. In addition to personal lyrical works, his poetry often focused on rural landscapes, the hardships of farming, and the suffering of the people, reflecting the style of Bai Juyi, Zhang Ji, and Wang Jian, avoiding excessive ornamentation. Works like "The Farmer's Life" and "On the Way to Haizhou" exemplify this. His landscape poems are genuine, natural, and refreshing, evoking deep reflection. Poems that celebrate local customs and the joys and sorrows of farmers, such as "Labor Songs," which reflect the hardships of laborers, and "The Transport of Wheat," which depicts the pain of farmers working "half to the granaries, half to the king," as well as "In Response to Chao Yingzhi's Compassion for Farmers," which portrays farmers turning to robbery due to hunger and cold, show innovation in both theme and thought.
Zhang Lei's poetic style was characterized by simplicity, elegance, and clarity, rarely using obscure language or. Chao Buzhi once praised in "Postscript to Wenqian's Poetry Collection," "Your poems are effortless yet profound, like a spring breeze opening a hundred flowers." Su Shi, in "Reply to Zhang Wenqian," described his writing as "vast and mellow, with a lingering charm that resonates like a song repeated three times." However, Zhang Lei excelled in crafting exquisite lines but was less skilled in structuring his poems. Sometimes his refinement was lacking, and some works were somewhat rushed and rough.
Zhang Lei wrote very few ci poems. The "Record of Changes in the Able to Amend" (Volume 17) records two of his ci poems, "Youthful Pastimes" and "Autumn Jasmine," stating, "The Yuanyou scholars all had folk poems, but Zhang Lei was only known for these two ci." This shows that his ci poems were not widely seen at the time. Modern scholars have compiled only six ci poems in "Ke Mountain Ci," including "Autumn Jasmine" and "Flowers in the Wind," which are deeply emotional and stylistically close to Qin Guan.
Zhang Lei had several major works, including the 50-volume "Ke Mountain Collection," the 12-volume "Collected Fragments," and the 1-volume "Continued Fragments." These were preserved in the of Fujian and the Guangya Press. The 60-volume "Collected Works of Zhang the Right Historian" was available in a old manuscript edition of the "Four Treasuries Collected Series," and the 76-volume "Wanquan Collection" was included in the "Complete Collection of the Four Treasuries." Poems and prose found in the "Wanquan Collection" but not in the "Ke Mountain Collection" were compiled into the "Collected Fragments."
This edition of "Zhang Lei's Collection" is a compilation of all known versions of his works. Additionally, we have collected sixteen poems (and fragments) and one eulogy from books such as "The Bamboo Slope Poetic Notes," "The Broad Record of Poetry," and "The Complete Collection of Fragrant Flowers," compiling them into "Collected Lost Writings" and appending them at the end. Biographical materials and prefaces to editions of Zhang Lei's works are also included. The original prefaces and chronicles are also appended at the end.
Zhang Lei also wrote "Zhang the Grand Historian's Mingdao Miscellaneous Notes," a monograph in the form of notes, which was not included in this edition. For easy reference, an index of titles is appended at the end.