Poetry of Pre-Qin, Han, Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties (Volume 1, 2, 3)

Author: Lu Qinli (compilation and annotation)
Publisher:
Publication Date: 1983-09-01
Features: This book comprises 135 volumes. Except for the Book of Songs and Songs of Chu, it includes all poems, ballads, and folk sayings from the pre-Qin, Wei-Jin, Northern and Southern Dynasties periods. It provides detailed annotations on sources and variant versions of texts, and each poet is preceded by a brief biography, making it an important reference work for the study of Chinese poetry history. It is a comprehensive collection of pre-Qin, Han, Wei, and Six Dynasties poetry. In the Ming Dynasty, there was Feng Weina's Poetry Records, and in the modern era, there was Ding Fubao's Complete Han, Wei, Jin, and Northern and Southern Dynasties Poetry. The former is disorganized and lacks discernment between authenticity and forgery; the latter, while correcting the former's shortcomings, still falls short of fully addressing them and fails to include pre-Qin ballads and lost poems. Both books do not annotate the sources of their citations. The strengths of Lu Qinli's book are: ① Extensive sources. Works before the Sui Dynasty, except for the Book of Songs and Songs of Chu, are included if they are songs, poems, ballads, or folk sayings. It cites references from over 300 works in the Four Treasuries. ② Detailed sources. Every poem is clearly annotated with the book and volume in which it appears, without exception, even for a single word or rhyme. ③ Accurate variant texts. All variant texts from different books, variant texts from different versions of the same book, and previous scholars' annotations that are worth referencing are recorded. ④ Rigorous research. The book offers many unique insights in its critical annotations. ⑤ Well-organized arrangement. The volumes are arranged according to the birth and death dates of the authors, revealing the connections and influences between contemporary writers, making it easier to compare different poetic styles and schools. However, since the final draft was not completed before the compiler passed away, there are inevitably some omissions and errors. Overall, the book remains one of the most complete and user-friendly works of its kind.