Po Chü-i: Selected Poems

by Bai Juyi

The T'ang dynasty was the great age of Chinese poetry, and Po Chü-i (772–846) was one of that era's most prolific major poets. His appealing style, marked by deliberate simplicity, won him wide popularity among the Chinese public at large and made him a favorite with readers in Korea and Japan as well. From Po Chü-i's well-preserved corpus―personally compiled and arranged by the poet himself in an edition of seventy-five chapters―the esteemed translator Burton Watson has chosen 128 poems and one short prose piece that exemplify the earthy grace and deceptive simplicity of this master poet.For Po Chü-i, writing poetry was a way to expose the ills of society and an autobiographical medium to record daily activities, as well as a source of deep personal delight and satisfaction―constituting, along with wine and song, one of the chief joys of existence. Whether exposing the gluttony of arrogant palace attendants during a famine; describing the delights of drunkenly chanting new poems under the autumn moon; depicting the peaceful equanimity that comes with old age; or marveling at cool Zen repose during a heat wave... these masterfully translated poems shine with a precisely crafted artlessness that conveys the subtle delights of Chinese poetry.

Genres: China, Poetry

172 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 31, 2000

About the author

Bai Juyi (Chinese: 白居易; 772–846), or Bo Juyi (Wade–Giles: Po Chü-i) was a Chinese poet of the Tang Dynasty. Many of his poems concern his career or observations made as a government official, including as governor of three different provinces. Bai Juyi was also renowned in Japan. Burton Watson says of Bai Juyi: "he worked to develop a style that was simple and easy to understand, and posterity has requited his efforts by making him one of the most well-loved and widely read of all Chinese poets, both in his native land and in the other countries of the East that participate in the appreciation of Chinese culture. He is also, thanks to the translations and biographical studies by Arthur Waley, one of the most accessible to English readers".

Reviews

[Scipio Africanus · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great translation of Bai JuYi or in the old British pronunciation Po Chu-i. I still think Rewi Alleys translation is my favorite, but this one is right up there. How I love this old Chinese poet. It's like we share the same soul. His poems are so true to life and raw whether talking about the suffering of the people, a beautiful landscape, or the grief that comes with the loss of a child or friend.