Three Hundred Tang Poems (Everyman’s Library POCKET POETS)
£9.90£11.40 (-13%)
These some three hundred poems from the Tang Dynasty (618-907)-an age in which poetry and the arts flourished-were gathered in the eighteenth century into what became one of the best-known books in the world, and which is still cherished in Chinese homes everywhere. Many of China’s most famous poets-Du Fu, Li Bai, Bai Juyi, and Wang Wei-are represented by timeless poems about love, war, the delights of drinking and dancing, and the beauties of nature. There are poems about travel, about grief, about the frustrations of bureaucracy, and about the pleasures and sadness of old age.
Nearly every Chinese household owns a copy of Tang Shi and poems from it are still included in textbooks and to be memorized by students.
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Additional information
| Publisher | Everyman (5 Mar. 2009) |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Hardcover | 288 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 1841597821 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-1841597829 |
| Dimensions | 11.3 x 2 x 16.5 cm |
by anthony
good
by Lupa Noctis
I had never really read any Chinese poetry before buying this book, but I am so glad I did. The imagery created by the poets is so different from Western traditions and is very refreshing as well as beautiful. The book is well-presented and is a perfect size for fitting into pockets, and I was able to take it with me to read on the train (feeling very intellectual as I did so). The poems themselves are organised by poet and then by style, with a short introduction at the front to explain the differences between the forms.
Altogether a fascinating sight into the history of another culture and a thoroughly enjoyable read.
by Dudleian
I don’t read Chinese, but with that caveat these translations read very well for me. You get 300 poems in a pocketable book for not much money. If you want an introduction to Chinese poetry I would buy it.
by Miss Curiosity
An insightful glance into a golden age of poetry, smallish print but a small portable volume.
by Dr. K. Brown
It was a delightful surprise in Wellington last week to be hosted by Peter Harris. I’d picked up a copy of 唐诗三百首 (300 Tang Poems) in Cambridge and wondered if the Peter Harris who edited it was the same person. And of course it was. This nifty little Everyman edition is a model of how a translator can simply and elegantly do their job and then slip out of sight. Just the poems, rendered with great simplicity and clarity, and a few explanatory notes. That’s it.
Which makes the reader do what is most profitable – focus on the poems. There are large amounts of Du Fu (杜甫)， Li Bai (李白) and Wang Wei (王维). But plenty of others too. The compilation was made in the 18th century. Harris has simply reordered it so the poets come alphabetically.
This was the true golden era of Chinese classical poetry, from 650AD to 900. There were a set number of poetic forms, and reading through these 300 samples makes the stock of images and associated feelings come across with great clarity. So lots of lakes, walking in mountains, clouds, and ringing of monastic bells. But the dominant sentiment is one of seclusion, melancholy, and unease arising from imminent threat. The poetry of the great Du Fu is the epitome of this – the rootlessness of his own life, the Anlushan Rebellion which nearly ripped the great Tang imperial order apart and the ways this cast a deep shadow across so much of what he did, and the sense of loss about his own family and relations. The most startling thing about Du Fu’s work is this clear element of autobiography and a lamenting, wounded personal voice. He sounds very modern.
There are wonderful arresting moments throughout this book. But it’s the sharp flashes lucidity that make the biggest impression: ‘Although we say that out of love/ there’s nothing to be gained/ We have yet to stop the heartache/ Of this crazy passion.’ That from Li Shangyin, appropriately called: ‘Without a Title.’
by Marlyn
Beautiful
by W. Fisher
I first discovered the poetry of the Tang dynasty in my teenage years, thanks to three volumes in the Penguin Classics series. This anthology, however, was unknown to me, since it has been unavailable in English translation for many years. This new translation, therefore, is most welcome, and is sure to delight any lover of this wonderful period of literary creativity.