[Nationalist Period Volume] - Poems on China's 5000 Years

Author: Meng Qingqi
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-06-01
Features: In the long and continuous history of China, poetry has been the mainstream of literary art for a considerable period. Poetry, with its brevity, clear rhythm, harmonious sound, implicit meaning, and ease of recitation, has been particularly favored by people. For example, the Book of Songs contains 305 poems, with simple yet beautiful language, demonstrating strong artistic appeal whether in expressing emotions or depicting events. Since Confucius compiled it, it has been highly valued by scholars and literati. The Confucian school regarded it as a classic, repeatedly studying it, and achieving mastery in its depths could elevate one to the status of an expert. The Book of Songs has had a profound influence on later poetic development, from the Songs of Chu and Han Fu to the Yuefu of the Wei, Jin, and Southern and Northern Dynasties, from Tang and Song poetry to modern vernacular free verse. Chinese poetry has a long and rich heritage, with an abundance of outstanding works. Classical poetry evolved from its initial focus on expressing emotions and depicting events to two main directions: romanticism and realism. Among them, narrative poetry, with its strong social impact, has been highly regarded. For instance, the Song of the Mulberry Fields, The Linlin Girls, The Peacock Flying Southwest, and The Ballad of Mulan in the Han and Wei Yuefu are long-lasting and widely celebrated. Du Fu’s “Three Officials and Three Partings,” Bai Juyi’s Song of Everlasting Sorrow and The Ballad of Pipa, and Yuan Zhen’s Verses of the Palace are timeless masterpieces. Since the Ming and Qing dynasties, Li Dongyang’s Song of the Flower General, Li Mengyang’s Ballad of the Xueming Palace, Wei Yuan’s Lantern Songs and Capital Songs, and Huang Zunxian’s Song of General Nie and Lament for Lushun have all pursued the artistic heights of predecessors, all being immortal works. Compiling collections of narrative poetry is an excellent tradition in Chinese scholarship. In the Southern Song Dynasty, Ji Yougong extensively collected Tang poetry, compiling a massive work. First came The Annals of Tang Poetry, followed by Li Xiao’s Annals of Song Poetry, Chen Yan’s Annals of Liao, Jin, and Yuan Poetry, Chen Tian’s Annals of Ming Poetry, Deng Zhicheng’s Initial Annals of Qing Poetry, and Qian Zhonglian’s Annals of Qing Poetry, edited by Qian Zhonglian. These works are chronologically connected and share similar formats, though their purposes differ: some aim to uncover hidden truths and “prove history through poetry,” others seek to evaluate artistic merit and “prove poetry through history,” while some simply preserve anecdotes and works of poets of a generation. The Annals of Tang Poetry was compiled by Ji Yougong out of concern for the loss of authors’ biographies, collecting the main works and stories of 1,150 poets, preserving valuable materials. However, its flaws include lacking citations and having a lenient selection standard, with a significant number of poems lacking substantiation. The Annals of Song Poetry was compiled by Li Xiao, who noticed that later generations overlooked the artistic value of Song poetry, aiming to reform literary trends. His “events” still referred not to major social and political incidents but to anecdotes of poets’ creative processes, supplemented by critiques of poetry, resembling a comprehensive collection of poetry for a generation. Chen Yan’s Annals of Liao, Jin, and Yuan Poetry follows Li Xiao’s format but maintains stricter selection criteria, excluding works that are not narrative poems. Chen Tian’s Annals of Ming Poetry also follows Li Xiao’s tradition, focusing on collecting stories of poets while occasionally including long poems reflecting major political events, though works lacking events still occupy a significant portion. Deng Zhicheng, treating poetry as a historian, meticulously verified the biographies of the 600 poets included in The Initial Annals of Qing Poetry, selecting over 2,000 poems with rigorous standards, excluding works without substantiation. From this perspective, his selections are not limited to famous poets but prioritize “events.” Unfortunately, he only covered the Yuefu of the Shunzhi and Kangxi dynasties. Qian Zhonglian, a professor, edited The Annals of Qing Poetry, combining the strengths of various formats, citing over 1,000 books, and including more than 5,000 authors, creating a monumental work that comprehensively covers anecdotes and important narrative poems of a generation. These collections all follow the format of associating people with their poems, with works on the same event scattered across volumes, making retrieval inconvenient. “Proving poetry through history” is an excellent academic tradition in China. Huang Zongxi, a renowned thinker in the early Qing Dynasty, advocated for “complementing history with poetry,” once saying: “When praising Du Fu’s poetry as a history of poetry, it is indeed true. However, those who annotate Du Fu’s poetry only see ‘proving poetry through history,’ yet have never heard of ‘complementing history with poetry.’ Although called a history of poetry, history itself is not based on poetry.” (Huang Zongxi: Preface to the Poetry of Mr. Wan Lü’an, in Collected Works of Nanlei Volume 1). Chen Yinque, a famous historian, recognized this and engaged in research on “proving poetry through history.” His Annotations and Explanations of Yuan and Bai’s Poetry holds great academic value and is highly esteemed by scholars. Historical records have often been meticulously altered and embellished by rulers to mislead and obscure the truth. Through the method of “proving history with poetry” by distinguishing authenticity from forgeries, gaps in historical records can be filled, allowing people to approach historical reality. Based on this understanding, we have carefully selected narrative poems of various themes, adopting the format of “associating events with poetry” to compile this book, attempting to find historical truth from the intersection of literature and history, appreciate poetic art, and disseminate knowledge. Through systematic reading of epic poetry, literary enthusiasts can gain insight into the rise and fall of Chinese history over five thousand years, while historians can appreciate the social impact of poetic art and enhance their literary and artistic appreciation. In compiling this book, we have strived for uniformity across volumes, but due to the division of labor among multiple contributors, minor inconsistencies may arise. We apologize for any inconvenience. Additionally, due to the haste of compilation, omissions are inevitable. We sincerely welcome corrections from the knowledgeable.