300 Yuan Qu Poems with Translations, Annotations, and Comments (2 Volumes)

Author: Zhu Jingyuan
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-03-01
Features: The connotation of Yuanqu (Yuan Dynasty qu poetry) can be divided into broad and narrow definitions. The former includes Yuan (Yuan Dynasty opera) and Yuan (Yuan Dynasty qu poetry), while the latter refers solely to Yuan. This book is a selected collection of Yuan. In the Yuan Dynasty, qu poetry was known as "" (music bureau) or "" (song lyrics), indicating that it was a form of musical literature, specifically the lyrics of songs. It developed from northern folk songs and ditties during the Jin and Yuan dynasties, evolving into a new poetic form. Its flourishing environment was the urban centers of the Jin and Yuan dynasties. While its authors included high-ranking officials and prominent scholars, the majority were middle and lower-tier literati and folk artists. The performers were mostly courtesans in the entertainment districts (), giving it a strong urban flavor—almost making it a form of urban literature. Yuan primarily has two forms: xiaoling (short qu) and quashe (qu sets). However, there is also a transitional form called daigu (qu with a bridge), which is generally classified under xiaoling. This book is organized into xiaoling, daigu, and quashe. A xiaoling is a single qu piece. A daigu is a sequence of two to four xiaoling, likely arranged due to their similar melodic tones. A quashe is a concatenation of two or more to over a dozen qu pieces in the same key (). The musical aspect of Yuan is now highly obscure, with only the names of the keys () and qu forms () preserved. In the main body of this book, the keys and qu forms are enclosed in square brackets ([]) above each qu piece, while the text below is the title.