Selected Poems of Ruan Ji (Chinese-English Parallel)

Author: Ruan Ji
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-01-01
Features: Ruan Ji (210-263), styled Sizong, was a poet during the Wei-Jin period and one of the famous "Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove." Living in turbulent times, despite having the aspiration to "save the world," he had to feign madness to avoid the world, seeking solace in poetry, philosophy, music, and indulgence in drink. The eighty-two "Poems on Contemplation" selected in this book hold an important position in the history of Chinese poetry. The poet expresses his profound "laments on life" in a graceful and ethereal style, using various symbolic techniques such as historical allusions, mythical tales, imagery of flying birds, and aesthetic distance to transform the concrete into the abstract, making the hardships and trials of life appear ethereal and even carefree in the poet's portrayal. This provides a model for later poets to express their emotions and ideals, earning it the reputation of "masterpiece of the age." The translation of this book is a collaborative effort between Wu Fusheng, a U.S.-born non-native speaker, and the British poet Green Lushan, presenting a bilingual Chinese-English translation of Ruan Ji's "Poems on Contemplation."