A Golden Treasury of Chinese Poetry

Preface — xiii
Acknowledgements — xxi
Introduction — xxiii

Zhou Dynasty
Book of Poetry　Courtship Song — 1
　That Gentle Maid — 2
　Wedding Song — 3
　While Locusts Sang — 4
Anonymous　Disappointment — 5

Western Han Dynasty
Liu Che　Lines on the Autumn Wind — 6
Royal Conservatory　The Dew that on Shallot-leaves Lies — 7
　“Long-Song Lay” — 8
Liu Xijun　Lamentation — 9

Eastern Han Dynasty
Qin Jia　A Farewell Poem for His Absent Wife — 10
Kong Rong　My Son — 11
Cao Cao　The Indomitable Soul — 12
Zhao Yi　Poems of Disgust — 13
Nineteen Old Poems　Far in the Skies in the Cowherd Star — 14
　Life that’s Scarce a Hundred Years — 15
Liu Zhen　For His Cousin — 16
Cao Zhi　Seven-Pace Song — 17
　Allegory — 18

Three Kingdoms
Ji Kang　Songs of Disillusionment — 19

Jin Dynasty
Tao Qian　Peach-Blossom Fount (Preface and Poem) — 21

Northern and Southern Dynasties
Anonymous　Border Songs — 24

Sui Dynasty
Anonymous　Barge-Hauler’s Song — 25

Tang Dynasty
Luo Binwang　To a Cicada from Prison — 26
He Zhizhang　Homecoming—jotted down on returning home after long separation — 27
Shi Zhao　Snow at Morning — 28
Zhang Jiuling　The Waterfall — 29
Li Longji　To Confucius—uttered under stress of emotion, as he sacrificed to Confucius while passing through the ancient kingdom of Lu — 30
Wang Zhihuan　On Top of Stork-bird Tower — 31
Meng Haoran　Dawn in Spring — 32
　Home to Deer-Gate at Night — 33
Qi Muqian　Night at Longxing Monastery — 34
Chang Jian　Hermitage at Broken-Hill Monastery — 35
Wang Changling　Regret — 36
Wang Wei　In Bamboo-Alley Grange — 37
　Green Brook — 38
Li Bai　Yang Guifei and the Peony-rose — 39
　Down from the Mountain — 41
　A Homily on Ideals in Life, Uttered in Springtime on Rising from a Drunken Slumber — 42
　Farewell—on seeing Meng Haoran off from Brown Crane Tower as he took his departure for Guangling — 43
　Cascade—gazing at the cascade on Lu Shan — 44
　Night Thoughts — 45
　The Moon — 46
　At a Banquet Held in Xie Tiao’s Tower in Xuanzhou, to bid farewell to Archivist Shu Yun — 47
　Crow’s Night Song — 48
Gao Shi　Parting Song—parting from the eldest youth of the Dong family — 49
Du Fu　Border Campaigning — 50
　Gazing at the Great Mount — 51
　Visiting an Old Friend—to the recluse Octavus Wei, the eighth member of the Wei family — 52
　Moonlight Night — 53
　The Winsome Bride — 55
　Quiet Moment — 56
Qian Qi　Homing Wild Geese — 57
Meng Jiao　Song for the Wanderer — 58
Wang Jian　To the Tune of “Palace Laughter” — 59
Han Yu　Late Spring — 60
Zhang Ji　The Chaste Wife’s Reply — 61
Bai Juyi　Outlandish Music — 62
　The Sound of Weeping — 63
　Looking at Fishes — 64
　Too Lazy — 65
　Remembering South River Land — 66
Li Shen　“Old Style” — 67
Jia Dao　The Absent Hermit — 68
Li He　The Starry Heavens — 69
Du Mu　On the City Esplansade—whence one sees the Five Tombs of Han Emperors — 70
　Golden Vale Garden — 71
　A Sad Farewell — 72
Li Shangyin　Fallen Blossoms — 73
　Jewelled Zither — 74
　Lady of the Moon — 75
Li She　Talking in the Hills — 76
Xiang Si　Mooring at Night by a Riverside Village — 77
Wen Tingyun　To the Tune of “Dreaming of South River Land” — 78
Luo Yin　Candid Song — 79
Wei Zhuang　To the Tune of “Maid’s Diadem” — 80
　South River Land—to the tune of “Fair Alien Divine” — 81
Chen Yulan　To Her Husband at the North Frontier — 82

Five Dynasties
Gu Xiong　Heart’s Utterance — 83
Zhang Bi　For Someone — 84
Li Yu　To the Tune of “Light Flowing Music” — 85
　To the Tune of “Fair Lady Yu” — 86
　Up the Western Stairs—to the Tune of “Joy at Meeting” — 87

Northern Song Dynasty
Yan Shu　Mutability — 88
Mei Yaochen　The Tile-maker — 89
Ouyang Xiu　The Huamei’s Song — 90
　Sweet is the Western Lake—to the Tune of “Mulberry-pickers” — 91
Du Lei　Makeshift Entertainment — 92
Su Shi　The Western Lake When Rain is Falling — 93
　Rememberance in Mid-Autumn—to the Tune of “Barcarole Prelude” — 94
　Written on a Painting of Flowers Done by Intendant Wang of Yanling — 95
　Admiring Peony-blossoms at the Monastery of Good Omens — 96
　Winter — 97
Huang Tingjian　To the Tune of “Light Flowing Music” — 98
Zhao Ji　On Seeing an Almond-tree in Blossom — 99

Southern Song Dynasty
Zhu Dunru　Angler’s Song—to the Tune of “With Much Ado” — 101
Li Qingzhao　A Dream — 102
　Madrigal: “As in a Dream” — 103
　Sorrow — 104
Ye Yong　Fisherman’s Ditty — 106
Lu You　A Portent — 107
　Reproach—on the indifference of the Southern Song Court to the plight of their fellow-countrymen in the North, still under the domination of the Juchen Tartars — 108
　Testament to His Son — 109
Fan Chengda　Country Life — 110
Yang Wanli　Sweltering in July — 111
Xin Qiji　A Truce to Sorrow — 112
　Enlightenment — 113
　In Exile — 114
Lei Zhen　Evening in a Village — 115
Wen Tianxiang　Song of Honour—written in prison in 1281, with a preface in prose — 116

Yuan Dynasty
“Plum-Blossom Sister”, A Buddhist Nun　A Song of Plum-Blossom — 120

Ming Dynasty
Gao Qi　War Tombs — 121
Li Hong　On Wine — 122
Shen Mingchen　Paean — 123
Qian Bingdeng　On Wine, After Yuanming — 124

Qing Dynasty
Nalan Xingde　To the Tune of “Love-longing” — 125
　To His Lost Bride—to the Tune of “Springtime in Provincial Garden” — 126
　Written While Staying at Double-Grove Monastery—to the Tune of “Remembering South River Land” — 128
　To the Tune of “Blossoms Loved by Butterflies” — 129
Yuan Mei　Self-banter on Arboriculture — 130
Zhao Yi　On Poems — 131
Li Diaoyuan　Seven-mile Shallows — 132

Notes — 133
The Translator — 141
The Editor — 143
Appendix: Chinese Texts — 145

'… deserves a place on the bookshelf of anyone who teaches classical Chinese poetry, Chinese literature in translation, and indeed, any course on Chinese culture and civilization.'
—The China Quarterly

'John Turner's meticulous and sensitive translations reveal a welcome glimpse of the beauty of traditional Chinese poetry.'
—China Now