How to Read Chinese Poetry

In this "guided" anthology, experts lead students through the major genres and eras of Chinese poetry from antiquity to the modern time. The volume is divided into 6 chronological sections and features more than 140 examples of the best shi, sao, fu, ci, and qu poems. A comprehensive introduction and extensive thematic table of contents highlight the thematic, formal, and prosodic features of Chinese poetry, and each chapter is written by a scholar who specializes in a particular period or genre. Poems are presented in Chinese and English and are accompanied by a tone-marked romanized version, an explanation of Chinese linguistic and poetic conventions, and recommended reading strategies. Sound recordings of the poems are available online free of charge. These unique features facilitate an intense engagement with Chinese poetical texts and help the reader derive aesthetic pleasure and insight from these works as one could from the original. The companion volume How to Read Chinese Poetry Workbook presents 100 famous poems (56 are new selections) in Chinese, English, and romanization, accompanied by prose translation, textual notes, commentaries, and recordings.Contributors: Robert Ashmore (Univ. of California, Berkeley); Zong-qi Cai; Charles Egan (San Francisco State); Ronald Egan (Univ. of California, Santa Barbara); Grace Fong (McGill); David R. Knechtges (Univ. of Washington); Xinda Lian (Denison); Shuen-fu Lin (Univ. of Michigan); William H. Nienhauser Jr. (Univ. of Wisconsin); Maija Bell Samei; Jui-lung Su (National Univ. of Singapore); Wendy Swartz (Columbia); Xiaofei Tian (Harvard); Paula Varsano (Univ. of California, Berkeley); Fusheng Wu (Univ. of Utah)

Thematic ContentsA Note on How to Use This Anthology
Acknowledgments
Major Chinese Dynasties
List of Symbols
Introduction: Major Aspects of Chinese Poetry
Zong-qi Cai
Part 1 Pre-Qin Times
1. Tetrasyllabic Shi Poetry: The Book of Poetry (Shijing)
William H. Nienhauser
2. Sao Poetry: The Lyrics of Chu (Chuci)
Fusheng Wu
Part 2 The Han Dynasty
3. Fu Poetry: An Ancient-Style Rhapsody (Gufu)
David R. Knechtges
4. Shi Poetry: Music Bureau Poems (Yuefu)
Jui-lung Su
5. Pentasyllabic Shi Poetry: The "Nineteen Old Poems"
Zong-qi Cai
Part 3 The Six Dynasties
6. Pentasyllabic Shi Poetry: Landscape and Farmstead Poems
Wendy Swartz
7. Pentasyllabic Shi Poetry: New Topics
Xiaofei Tian
Part 4 The Tang Dynasty
8. Recent-Style Shi Poetry: Pentasyllabic Regulated Verse (Wuyan Lüshi)
Zong-qi Cai
9. Recent-Style Shi Poetry: Heptasyllabic Regulated Verse (Qiyan Lüshi)
Robert Ashmore
10. Recent-Style Shi Poetry: Quatrains (Jueju)
Charles Egan
11. Ancient-Style Shi Poetry: A Revival
Paula Varsano
Part 5 The Five Dynasties and the Song Dynasty
12. Ci Poetry: Short Song Lyrics (Xiaoling)
Maija Bell Samei
13. Ci Poetry: Long Song Lyrics (Manci)
Xinda Lian
14. Ci Poetry: Long Song Lyrics on Objects (Yongwu Ci)
Shuen-fu Lin
15. Shi Poetry: Ancient and Recent Styles
Ronald Egan
Part 6 The Yuan, Ming, and Qing Dynasties
16. Qu Poetry: Song Poems (Sanqu) of the Yuan Dynasty
Xinda Lian
17. Shi Poetry of the Ming and Qing Dynasties
Grace S. Fong
18. A Synthesis: Rhythm, Syntax, and Vision of Chinese Poetry
Zong-qi Cai
Phonetic Transcriptions of Entering-Tone Characters
Abbreviations of Primary Texts
Contributors
Glossary-Index