After Meng Jiao

Even though Ci was popular in the Song Dynasty, poetry in both ancient and modern forms did not decline. In the eyes of the people at the time poetry was loftier than Ci. Many more poems than Ci have been handed down from the Song Dynasty. There are two collections of Song poetry. The first one has 78 volumes and includes 882 poets; the second includes 3,800 poets. The poetry of Song is a distinctive type in its own right. We shall comment on its characteristics at the end of this section. The pioneers of Song poetry are Mei Yaochen ( 梅诗臣， 1002-1060) and Su Shunqin ( 诗诗诗， 1008-1048). Mei emphasized the tradition of 《 The Book of Songs 》 and 《 The Songs of Chu 》 , he put forward a famous artistic criteria for A portrait of Mei Yaochen 1 poetry: " A scenery that is difficult to describe should be projected as if it is before your eye; what has not been said should be heard outside the words. 诗诗之景如在目前， 状 写 含 不 之意 诗于 言外 尽 ." Mei's poems are of a calm and light style. Let's read his " 诗溪， Dong Xi, The East Brook": 行到诗溪看水诗， Xing dao dong xi kan shui shi, 坐诗孤诗诗船诗。 Zuo lin gu yu fa chuan chi. 野诗眠岸有诗意， Ye fu mian an you xian yi, 老诗着花无丑枝。 Lao shu zhao hua wu chou zhi. 短短蒲诗诗似剪， Duan duan pu er qi si jian, 平平沙石诗于诗。 Ping ping sha shi jing yu shai. 情诗不诗住不得， Qing sui bu yan zhu bu de, 薄暮诗 诗诗疲。 来 Bo mu gui lai che ma pi. When arrived at Dong Xi I looked at the water, Sitting opposite to the islet I asked the boat to return later. Leisurely the wild ducks were sleeping at the bank, No ugly branches on the old tree that was growing flowers. The short calami were so even as if being trimmed, Sand and stones were cleaner than those being sifted were. I hadn't seen enough yet couldn't spend the night there, I returned at dusk and the horses were tired.

Neoland School of Chinese Culture, 2021

This volume contains 81 carefully selected Chinese poems arranged in chronological order, from antiquity (c.2000 BCE) to the modern time (1972), though most of them are from the Tang (618-907) and Song (960-1279) dynasties, since these two eras were the climax of Chinese poetry creation and development. The selection was based on the popularity of the poems, and the common phrases taken from them in everyday usage. Pinyin has been added to help readers learn Mandarin while reading these poems, and feel the sense of poetics in them. The translator is a native Beijinger who has lived in China for over 20 years and in English-speaking countries for over 30 years. Her professional background is architectural humanities. She hopes to make an original contribution to the translation of Chinese poetry through her unique lenses. During the translation, she found it interesting and surprising that the rhythms in the classical Chinese poems were somewhat able to be transformed to follow certain rhythms in the English versions. Maybe there is a universal truth about composing poetry in a sense. Enjoy your reading if you are a lover of Chinese literature and culture, and learn the wisdom of life through your reading.

Chinese Literature Today, 2019

These four poems by Mi Jialu show a personal contemplation on the torturous human condition inflicted by historical traumas, environmental crisis, and diasporic alienation. Through a gaze of a surreal lens, the poet seeks to express the inexpressible haunted by memory, dreams, and ghosts. With a more psychological quest, the poet embarks on a journey into the heart of darkness for self-redemption and spiritual illumination.

Chinese Literature Today, 2019

These four poems by Mi Jialu show a personal contemplation on the torturous human condition inflicted by historical traumas, environmental crisis, and diasporic alienation. Through a gaze of a surreal lens, the poet seeks to express the inexpressible haunted by memory, dreams, and ghosts. With a more psychological quest, the poet embarks on a journey into the heart of darkness for self-redemption and spiritual illumination.

PORTAL Journal of Multidisciplinary International Studies, 2007

Ocaso Press Ltda., 2024

Chinese poetry rhymed, scanned and followed a host of demanding rules. To bring over that character, and aided by books now available to the general reader, I have tried to do four things in these translations. The first is to create faithful renderings that stand on their own as acceptable poems. The second is to give some indication of the different Chinese poetry styles and genres. The third is to convey the characters and personalities of the individual poets. And the fourth is to provide the social background to Chinese poetry, the context in which poetry was written and understood.

TEXT, 2021

Chinese Literature Today, 2011

Critical Times

| © 2019 Sinan Antoon This is an open ac cess ar ti cle dis trib uted un der the terms of a Creative Commons license (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0).