A Book of Chinese Verse

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE S Titles inguillemets (« » ) indicate poems in the yuehfu o r tzu song-forms , the latte r bein g indicate d b y the additio n o f the word 'T o (se e pp 6 7 and 119) Biographica l note s of poets are followed by the verses selected in this book and their page numbers ABBREVIATIONS SPTK Ssupu ts'ung-kan edition s SPPY Ssupu pei-yao edition s BSS Basic Sinological Series CTS Ch'uan Tang-shih, reference s t o I96 0 reprin t i n twelv e volumes from THE BOOK OF SONGS, th e earliest anthology, c 60 0 B C This rud e doo r (Son g 138 ) • 8 7 The rai n i s not controlle d (Son g 194 , stanzas 1 and 3 ) 8 7 What plan t i s not yellow ? (Son g 234 ) 8 9 CH'IN CHI A (fl mid-secon d century ) No t much i s known o f Ch'in, author o f a serie s o f thre e celebrate d poem s o f leav e taking from hi s wife, on th e occasion o f his going to the capital with the commander y account s H e seem s afterward s t o hav e received a court appointment bu t to have died soon at an early age To m y wife , Poem s I an d II I (Yu-tai hsin-yung, c 1 , World Boo k C o , ed 1935 , p 17 ) 8 9 HSU SH U (fl mid-secon d century) , wife of Ch'in Chia To m y husban d (Yu-tai hsin-yung, c 1 , p 18 ) 9 3 from THE NINETEEN OLD POEMS Thi s serie s preserve d i n c 2 9 of th e antholog y Wen-hsuan compile d b y Hsia o T'un g (501 31 ), i s generall y though t t o dat e fro m th e secon d hal f o f th e second century Hsia o T'ung gave no author, but another sixthcentury anthology, the Yu-t'ai hsin-yung, b y Hsu Ling (507-83) ascribes eigh t o f th e ninetee n t o Me i Sheng , a n ascriptio n which wa s obviousl y doubte d durin g th e sixt h centur y itsel f and is rejected b y modern critic s Green, gree n th e river-sid e gras s (N o 2 of th e series ) 9 5 SU W U We plaited our hair i s the thir d o f fou r poem s attribute d by Hsiao T'ung i n his antholog y Wen-hsuan (c 29 ) to Su Wu, who wa s hel d captiv e fo r ninetee n year s b y th e rule r o f th e Huns, to whom h e ha d bee n sen t as an envoy S u returned t o BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES Titles In gUlllemets (« » ) indICate poem1> In the yuebfu or tz'u song-form1>, the latter being indicated by the addition of the word 'To (see pp 67 and 119) Biographical notes of poets are followed by the verses selected In thiS book and their page numbers ABBREVIATIONS SPTK Ssupu ts'ung-kan editions Sppy Ssu-pu pet-yao editions BSS Bastc Smologtcal Senes CTS Cb'uan T'ang-sbth, references to 1960 repnnt In twelve volumes from THE BOOK OF SONGS, the earltest anthology, c 600 BC ThiS rude door (Song 138) 87 The ram IS not controlled (Song 194, stanzas 1 and 3) 87 What plant IS not yellow? (Song 234) 89 CH'IN CHIA (jl mid-second century) Not much IS known of Ch'ln, author of a senes of three celebrated poems of leave taking from hiS wife, on the occasion of hiS gOing to the capital With the commandery accounts He seems afterwards to have received a court appointment but to have died soon at an early age To my WIfe, Poems I and III (Yu-t'at hsm-yung, c 1, World Book Co ,ed 1935, p 17) 89 HSU SHU (jl mid-second century), Wife of Ch'ln Chla To my husband (Yu-t'at hsm-yung, c 1, p 18) 93 from THE NINETEEN OW POEMS This senes preserved In C 29 of the anthology Wen-bsuan compiled by HSiao T'ung (50131...