54 Pr e - q i n t i m e s
ages, when such relief often could be had only vicariously through a text. And,
finally, Qu Yuan’s example demonstrated to them that virtue and beauty often go
unappreciated, and that they were not alone in their misfortunes, thus making
the sufferings of life more bearable. In sum, “On Encountering Trouble” provided
both poetic inspiration and emotional catharsis to later generations. This has en-
sured it a major place in the history of Chinese literature.
Fusheng Wunotes- Quoted in Wang Yi and Hong Xingzu, eds., Chuci buzhu (Further Annotated Edition of the
“Chuci ”) (Beijing: Zhonghua shuju, 1983), 49. Unless indicated otherwise, all citations of the
Chuci are from this edition. - Fan Wenlan, ed., Wenxin diaolong zhu (Annotated Edition of “The Literary Mind and the Carv-
ing of Dragons”), 2 vols. (Beijing: Renmin wenxue chubanshe, 1978), 46–47. - The English translation of the first two poems is mine. The translation of “Lisao” is from
David Hawkes, ed. and trans., The Songs of the South: An Anthology of Ancient Chinese Poems by Qu
Yuan and Other Poets (New York: Penguin, 1985), 67–95, with minor changes. For the translation,
I have also consulted Burton Watson, trans. and ed., The Columbia Book of Chinese Poetry: From
Early Times to the Thirteenth Century (New York: Columbia University Press, 1984), 54–66, and
Stephen Owen, trans. and ed., An Anthology of Chinese Literature: Beginnings to 1911 (New York:
Norton, 1996), 162–175. To facilitate reading and discussion, I have broken “Lisao” into sections.
The romanizations of Chinese characters in this poem were added by the editor. - Ban Gu, Han shu (History of the Han Dynasty) (Beijing: Zhonghua shuju, 1962), 28b.1666,
quoted and translated in Hawkes, Songs of the South, 18. - Fig trees grow on land, lotuses in water, and thus the speaker is saying that her search for her
lord is bound to be fruitless. - Most Chinese scholars agree on this. Another view of these two poems is that they are about
the two daughters of the ancient sage-ruler Yao, who gave them to his successor, Shun, in mar-
riage. According to the legend, they drowned in the Xiang River when they heard that their Shun
had died. Hawkes, who holds this view, states that “the words in both of these songs are sung
throughout in propria persona by a male shaman who is pretending to be out in a boat looking for
the goddess among her island haunts” (Songs of the South, 106). - David Hawkes discusses this theme in “The Quest of the Goddess,” in Studies in Chinese Lit-
erary Genres, ed. Cyril Birch (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1974), 42–68. - Wang and Hong, Chuci buzhu, does not have this character but notes that it was here in an-
other edition. It is included in other editions I consulted. - Wang and Hong, Chuci buzhu, does not have this character but notes that it was here in an-
other edition. It is included in other editions I consulted. - Compare with lines 21 and 22 in “The Lord of the Xiang River.”
- Jiuyi Mountain is the burial place of Shun.
- Ma Maoyuan believes that these are presents of love given to the Lord of the Xiang by the
Lady of the Xiang. Citing some examples from ancient texts, he further maintains that exchanging
clothes between lovers was an ancient custom (Ma Maoyuan, ed., Chuci xuan [Selections from the
“Chuci”] [Beijing: Renmin wenxue chubanshe, 1998], 63). - Hawkes discusses the inconsistencies in the accounts of Qu Yuan in early texts (Songs of the
South, 51–66). - Sima Qian, Shiji (Records of the Grand Scribe) (Beijing: Zhonghua shuju, 1963),
84.2481–2491.