Elegies of Chu: An Anthology of Early Chinese Poetry

by Nicholas Morrow Williams

Elegies of Chu (in Chinese, Chuci), one of the two surviving collections of ancient Chinese poetry, is a key source for the whole tradition of Chinese poetry. Because the elegies contain passionate expressions of political protest as well as shamanistic themes of magic spells and wandering spirits, they present an alternative face of early Chinese culture; one that does not align with orthodox Confucianism. This translation employs literary English devices in order to emphasise the original structure of these Chinese poems. It also examines the extraordinarily vivid diction of the source texts, including of onomatopoeia, ornate descriptions, exotic flowers, dramatic landscapes, metaphors and startling similes.

This translation will be based on the original anthology compiled in the Han dynasty by Wang Yi (2nd century CE), and contains a selection of poems that were collected from the 3rd century BCE through the Han dynasty. The anthology provides readers with an understanding of Chinese literature and its evolution from free-spirited, mythico-religious songs to the more formal, polished style of the Han court.

Genres: Poetry, Classics, China

281 pages, Paperback

Published May 1, 2022

Reviews

[AB · Rating 4 out of 5]

The closest thing that I can compare this to is early Mesopotamian poetry in that these poems give this amazing sense of familiarity and foreignness. The poems themselves follow two major themes: Shamanistic rituals/traditional religion and the life and suicide of Qu Yuan. The struggle between idealism and reality are intertwined with spirit journeys and descriptions of deities.

While there were some great poems, I found myself most interested in how this was a perfect example of how difficult it can be to fully understand something based off of vast time and cultural differences (Imagine reading Virgil but not having any sort of knowledge of Roman gods or history). I will admit that the act of translating has always interested me, so it was right up my alley.

[Magpie6493 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fascinating collection of poetry to read. I would suggest being already familiar with elements of chinese culture and philosophy before reading this or else you won't be able to understand it as well.

This is an incredibly important collection of poetry and im super happy that I was able to find an English translation as I do not yet speak or read Chinese.