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Introduction
Major Aspects of Chinese Poetry
Poetry enjoys an unrivaled status in traditional Chinese literature and culture. The
Shijing (The Book of Poetry), compiled around 600 b.C.e., is the earliest extant col-
lection of Chinese poems and was regarded by Confucius as an essential part of his
educational program. He considered its mastery as a prerequisite for anyone en-
trusted with state business. In subsequent dynasties, the status of poetry steadily
increased. Not only did scholars assiduously study the Book of Poetry as a Confucian
classic, but they also occupied themselves with writing poetry in ever more diverse
and complex forms. Poetic composition became their indispensable medium of
self-expression, social criticism, and even career advancement. Poetic excellence
often earned them social prestige as well as entry into officialdom. Common
people were equally engaged in composing, chanting, and singing poetry. Their
oral tradition was instrumental to the rise of all major Chinese poetic genres.
This anthology traces the evolution of this great poetic tradition as it presents
143 famous poems composed over the long period of almost three millennia. As
we read through these poems, we shall gain insight into the major aspects of Chi-
nese poetry. To prepare for our intense engagement with the poems, let me pro-
vide highlights of these aspects.
t h e m e sA quick and easy way to get acquainted with Chinese poetry is to review the eleven
themes listed in the thematic table of contents, which lie at the core of the evolving
Chinese poetic canon.
“Love and Courtship” is a prominent theme in the airs of the Book of Poetry.
Many of the airs are bona fide erotic love songs, featuring unabashed accounts of a
tryst or an affair. In these songs, women show few signs of inhibition and, indeed,
are often the daring and resourceful initiators of a secret affair. Such uninhibited,
self-willed women are not seen in later literati compositions, with the exception of
Yuan song poems (sanqu [chap. 16]). In most literati compositions, women often
fall into two rather static types: the beautiful and the abandoned.
“The Beautiful Woman” shows how the literati reconceptualized woman as
an abstract, static object of desire—for spiritual fulfillment, sensual pleasure, or
both. In “On Encountering Trouble” (C2.3), by Qu Yuan (340?–278 b.C.e.), the
first-known literati poet, we can already see feminine beauty conspicuously trans-
formed into a symbol of moral virtue. This allegorization of feminine beauty