Dongou Ci Zheng

Author: Xue Zhongdou
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2004-09-01
Features: The Wenzhou region encompasses a whole prefecture, producing a succession of outstanding figures in culture. Those who gained fame solely through their lyrics are relatively few compared to other prefectures in our Zhejiang province. Mao Jiguo once highly praised Lu Pujiang's lyrics, describing his line "Riverside reflection of wild geese" as capturing the essence of ancient lyrical poetry, while his songs like "Moonlit flute playing" and "Bowing low to inquire about lychees" followed the footsteps of the two sons of the Southern Tang dynasty. The Lyrics of Pujiang has long been celebrated in the lyrical world.
In addition, Huang Hui of the Ming dynasty had The Lyrics of Self-Awareness (listed in The Catalogue of a Hundred Rivers, The Art Literature of the Ming Dynasty, and The Catalogue of the Thousand-Qian Hall), and Lin Zhanchun of the Qing dynasty had The Lyrics of Xue'an (listed in the Qianlong Prefecture and County Gazetteers). Others remain largely unknown. It has been argued that the coastal Wenzhou region, with its majestic and enchanting mountains and rivers, has inspired many. The beauty of Longyuan and the wonders of Yandang have been explored by figures like Ling Yun and described by Xie Lingyun. The Lyrical Records of Dongwo contains a wide range of selections: some praise patriotism and honor loyal officials, martyrs, and upright officials; others depict the magnificent landscapes of the motherland and hometown; some pursue pure love; and some expose the darkness of the official world and critique cunning and evil.
However, viewed through modern perspectives and knowledge, the work has its shortcomings. For instance, it includes some lyrics that clearly carry superstitious elements, and the arrangement is not entirely rational. Additionally, a few quatrains were mistakenly included. Nevertheless, overall, the editorial attitude of The Lyrical Records of Dongwo is earnest and sincere, and the collected lyrics remain generally healthy and uplifting, free of any lewd or vulgar content. For intellectuals of eighty years ago to possess such insight is truly remarkable.
During the editing and proofreading process, the reviser undertook the following tasks:
1. Since the manuscript of The Lyrical Records of Dongwo was compiled in the early 20th century, despite Xue Zhongdou's erudition, the limited access to literature under the circumstances inevitably led to omissions. Many works of lyricists in Wenzhou's history remain undiscovered. To facilitate readers' and reading, the supplementary sections were inserted directly into the relevant parts without a separate chapter, and works from 1919 to 1949 were added, expanding the original ten volumes to fifteen.
2. The entire book was uniformly typeset in simplified characters in horizontal layout, with punctuation added according to the lyrical tunes.
3. Most of the manuscript was copied by others on behalf of Xue Zhongdou. Due to the scribes' varying levels of scholarly knowledge and literary refinement, numerous errors appeared, such as missing lines or words, and incorrect lyrical forms. The reviser corrected these errors by referring to The Spring and Autumn in Azure Clouds, Comprehensive Lyrics, Three Hundred Lyrics of the Song Dynasty, Complete Lyrics of the Song Dynasty, The Complete Collection of Tang, Song, and Yuan Lyrics, Complete Lyrics of the Jin and Yuan Dynasties, The Collected Lyrics of the Qing Dynasty, and various other lyric collections.
4. The original manuscript lacked a general index, and the sub-indexes at the beginning of each volume only listed the number of lyrics by certain authors without specifying the lyrical forms. This made retrieval inconvenient. The reviser added a general index to this edition, arranged by author but without sub-volume indices.
5. A brief biographical note of no more than 300 words was written after each author's name, providing a simple introduction to their birth and death dates, place of origin, courtesy name, and major life experiences and works, to give readers a general understanding of the lyricists' lives. It is hoped that this will aid readers in comprehending the lyrics.