This is a list of the sections and individual pieces contained within the ancient poetry anthology ''

Chu Ci The ''Chu ci'', variously translated as ''Verses of Chu,'' ''Songs of Chu'', or ''Elegies of Chu'', is an ancient anthology of Chinese poetry including works traditionally attributed mainly to Qu Yuan and Song Yu from the Warring States period ...

'' (), also known as ''Songs of the South'' or ''Songs of Chu'', which is an anthology of

Classical Chinese poetry Classical Chinese poetry is traditional Chinese poetry written in Classical Chinese and typified by certain traditional forms, or modes; traditional genres; and connections with particular historical periods, such as the poetry of the Tang dyn ...

verse Verse may refer to: Poetry * Verse, an occasional synonym for poetry * Verse, a metrical structure, a stanza * Blank verse, a type of poetry having regular meter but no rhyme * Free verse, a type of poetry written without the use of strict me ...

traditionally attributed to

Qu Yuan Qu Yuan ( – 278 BCE) was a Chinese poet and politician in the Chu (state), State of Chu during the Warring States period. He is known for his patriotism and contributions to Classical Chinese poetry, classical poetry and verses, ...

and

Song Yu Song Yu (; 298–263 BC) was a Chinese poet from the late Warring States period, and is known as the traditional author of a number of poems in the ''Verses of Chu (Chu ci'' 楚辭'')''. Among the ''Verses of Chu'' poems usually attributed to ...

from the

Warring States period The Warring States period () was an era in History of China#Ancient China, ancient Chinese history characterized by warfare, as well as bureaucratic and military reforms and consolidation. It followed the Spring and Autumn period and concluded ...

, though about half of the poems seem to have been composed several centuries later, during the

Han Dynasty The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–207 BC) and a warr ...

.Hawkes, David. Ch'u Tz'u: ''Songs of the South, an Ancient Chinese Anthology''. (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1959), 28. The traditional version of the ''Chu Ci'' contains 17 major sections, and was edited by Wang Yi (), a 2nd-century AD librarian who served under

Emperor Shun of Han Emperor Shun of Han (; 115 – 20 September 144) was an emperor of the Chinese Han Dynasty and the eighth emperor of the Eastern Han. He reigned from 125 to 144. Emperor Shun (Prince Bao) was the only son of Emperor An of Han. After Emperor An ...

. The ''Chu Ci'' and the ''

Shi Jing The ''Classic of Poetry'', also ''Shijing'' or ''Shih-ching'', translated variously as the ''Book of Songs'', ''Book of Odes'', or simply known as the ''Odes'' or ''Poetry'' (; ''Shī''), is the oldest existing collection of Chinese poetry, co ...

'' together constitute the chief sources of pre-

Qin dynasty The Qin dynasty ( ; zh, c=秦朝, p=Qín cháo, w=), or Ch'in dynasty in Wade–Giles romanization ( zh, c=, p=, w=Ch'in ch'ao), was the first Dynasties in Chinese history, dynasty of Imperial China. Named for its heartland in Qin (state), ...

Chinese verse.

"Encountering Sorrow"

"Li Sao" () is one of the most famous of the works contained in the ''Chu Ci'': it mainly is upon a theme of seemingly autobiographical material about the relationship between Qu Yuan and the leadership of the Chu kingdom. Although often interpreted as a political allegory, other aspects of this rather long poem seem to refer to religious and mythological themes derived from the culture of the Chu area. Source text of ''Li Sao'' (in Chinese): 離騷. One piece.

"Nine Songs"

"Jiu Ge" (), despite the "Nine" in the title, the "Jiu Ge" actually includes eleven discrete parts or songs. These seem to represent some shamanistic dramatic practices of the

Yangzi River The Yangtze or Yangzi ( or ; ) is the longest river in Asia, the third-longest in the world, and the longest in the world to flow entirely within one country. It rises at Jari Hill in the Tanggula Mountains (Tibetan Plateau) and flows ...

valley area and other areas involving the invocation of divine beings and seeking their blessings by means of a process of courtship. Text (in Chinese): 九歌 The titles of the poems in Chinese are as follows. English translations of titles follow David Hawkes:

"Heavenly Questions"

"Tian Wen" (), also known as ''Questions to Heaven'', addressed to ''

Tian ''Tiān'' () is one of the oldest Chinese terms for heaven and a key concept in Chinese mythology, Chinese philosophy, philosophy, and Chinese folk religion, religion. During the Shang dynasty (17th―11th century BCE), the Chinese referred to ...

'' (or "Heaven"), consists of series of questions, 172 in all, in verse format. The series of questions asked involves

Chinese mythology Chinese mythology () is mythology that has been passed down in oral form or recorded in literature in the geographic area now known as Greater China. Chinese mythology includes many varied myths from regional and cultural traditions. Much of t ...

and ancient Chinese religious beliefs. The answers are not explicated. Text (in Chinese): 天問. One piece.

"Nine Pieces"

"Jiu Zhang" () consists of nine pieces of poetry, one of which is the "

Lament for Ying Lament for Ying ( Chinese: 哀郢, pinyin: ''Āi Yǐng'') is a poem which has sometimes been attributed to Chinese poet Qu Yuan, and dated to around 278 BCE. Lament for Ying is from the " Nine Declarations" (''Jiu Zhang'') section of the ''Chuci'' ...

" ("Ai Ying").

Ying Ying may refer to: People * Yíng (嬴), a Chinese surname, the ancestral name of Qin Shi Huang, first Emperor of China in the Qin Dynasty, and some contemporary rival royal families such as the Zhaos * Yīng (应), a Chinese surname from the Z ...

was the name of one of the traditional capital cities of Qu Yuan's homeland of Chu (eventually, Ying and Chu even became synonymous). However, both the city of Ying and the entire state of Chu itself experienced doom due to the expansion of the

state of Qin Qin () was an ancient Chinese state during the Zhou dynasty. Traditionally dated to 897 BC, it took its origin in a reconquest of western lands previously lost to the Rong; its position at the western edge of Chinese civilization permitted ex ...

, which ended up consolidating China at the expense of the other former independent states: including Qu Yuan's home state — hence the "Lament". Text in Chinese: 九章. Note that poem numbers 1, 6, 7, and 9 actually lack titles in the original text; rather, they are named for the sake of convenience after the first few words with which these poems begin.Hawkes:1985, 152 English titles based on David Hawkes' translations.

"Far-off Journey"

"Yuan You" () 遠遊 One piece.

"Divination"

"Bu Ju" () 卜居. One piece, mixed poetry and prose.

"The Fisherman"

"Yu Fu" (). Text source (Chinese): 漁父. One piece, mixed poetry and prose.

"Nine Changes"

" Nine Changes" (, or "Nine Disputations", or "Nine Arguments"). Attributed to

. Chinese source: 九辯. Number of individual pieces uncertain. No separate titles.

"Summons of the Soul"

"Summons of the Soul" (). Text source (in Chinese): 招魂. One piece.

"The Great Summons"

The Great Summons "The Great Summons" or ''"Da Zhao"'' () is one of the poems anthologized in the ancient Chinese poetry collection, the ''Chu ci'', also known as ''The Songs of the South''. "The Great Summons" consists of a single poem without introduction or epil ...

" (). Text source (in Chinese): 大招. One piece.

"Sorrow for Troth Betrayed"

Sorrow for Troth Betrayed "Sorrow for Troth Betrayed" () is one of the poems anthologized in the ancient Chinese poetry collection, the ''Chu Ci'', which together with the ''Shijing'' comprise the two major textual sources for Classical Chinese poetry. The "Sorrow for Trot ...

" (). Text source (in Chinese): 惜誓. One piece, with '' luan''.

"Summons for a Recluse"

Summons for a Recluse "Summons for a Recluse" () is one of the 17 major sections of the ancient Chinese poetry collection ''Chu ci'', also known as ''The Songs of the South'' or ''The Songs of Chu''. The "Summons for a Recluse" is a short but influential poem (Hawkes, 20 ...

" (). Textsource (in Chinese): 招隱士. One piece.

"Seven Remonstrances"

Seven Remonstrances "Seven Remonstrances" or "Seven Admonishments" () is one of the 17 major sections of the ancient Chinese poetry collection ''Chu ci'', also known as ''The Songs of the South'' or ''The Songs of Chu''. The "Seven Admonishments" consists of seven poet ...

" (). Text source (in Chinese): 七諫. Seven pieces, plus ''luan''. *I When First Exiled (Chu fang) *II Drowning in the River (Chen jiang) *III Disgust with the World (Yuan shi) *IV Embittered Thoughts (Yuan si) *V Oppressed by Grief (Zi bei) *VI Mourning my Lot (Ai ming) *VII Reckless Remonstrance (Miu jian) *VIII Luan

"Alas That My Lot Was Not Cast"

Alas That My Lot Was Not Cast "Alas That My Lot Was Not Cast" or "Ai shi ming" () is one of the poems anthologized in the ancient Chinese poetry collection, the ''Chu ci''; which, together with the ''Shijing'' comprise the two major textual sources for ancient Chinese poetry. " ...

" (). Chinese text source: 哀時命. One piece.

"Nine Regrets"

Nine Regrets "Nine Regrets" () is the 11th of the 17 major sections of the ancient Chinese poetry collection ''Chu ci'', also known as ''The Songs of the South'' or ''The Songs of Chu''. The "Nine Regrets" consists of nine verses plus an envoi (''luan''), each i ...

" (). Attributed to

Wang Bao Wang Bao ( 84 53 BCE), courtesy name Ziyuan (子淵), was a Chinese poet during the Western Han Dynasty. He was well versed in the Classical Chinese poetry tradition. He was involved in the ''Chu Ci'' poetry revival which took place in the second ...

, who flourished during the reign of

Emperor Xuan of Han Emperor Xuan of Han (Liu Xun 劉詢, né Liu Bingyi 劉病已; born 91 BC – 10 January 48 BC) was the tenth emperor of the Chinese Han dynasty, reigning from 74 to 48 BC, and was one of the only four Western Han emperors to receive a temple na ...

. Source text (in Chinese): 九懷. Consists of nine sections, plus a ''luan'' (

envoi Envoi or envoy in poetry is used to describe: * A short stanza at the end of a poem such as a ballad, used either to address an imagined or actual person or to comment on the preceding body of the poem. * A dedicatory poem about sending the book o ...

). *I Release from Worldly Contrivings (Kuang ji) *II A Road to Beyond (Tong lu) *III Dangerous Heights (Wei jun) *IV A Light on the World (Zhao shi) *V Honouring the Good (Zun jia) *VI Stored Blossoms (Xu ying) *VII Thoughts on Loyalty Bent (Si zhong) *VIII Raising Barriers (Tao yong) *IX Quenching the Light (Zhu zhao) *X Luan (envoi)

"Nine Laments"

" Nine Laments" (). (歎 is a variant for 嘆). Written by Liu Xiang (77-6 BCE). Text (in Chinese): 九歎. Nine pieces, each one including a final "Lament", entitled 'Embittered Thoughts': *1. 'Encountering Troubles' *2. 'Leaving the World' *3. 'Embittered Thoughts' *4. 'Going Far Away' *5. 'Lament for the Worthy' *6. 'Saddened by Sufferings' *7. 'Grieved by this Fate' *8. 'Sighing for Olden Times' *9. 'The Far-off Journey'

"Nine Longings"

Nine Longings Nine Longings () form one of the 17 major sections of the ancient Chinese poetry collection, the ''Chu ci''. The "Nine Longings" consists of ten poems (or, nine plus ''luan'' envoi), each individually titled, written according to the style of the ea ...

" (). By Wang Yi, a Han dynasty librarian and compiler and annotator of the ''Chu Ci''. Chinese text source: 九思. Nine pieces, plus a ''luan'': *I Meeting with Reproach (Feng you) *II Resentment against the Ruler (Yuan shang) *III Impatience with the World (Ji shi) *IV Pity for the Ruler (Min shang) *V Running into Danger (Zan e) *VI Grieving over Disorder (Dao luan) *VII Distressed by These Times (Shang shi) *VIII Lament for the Year (Ai sui) *IX Maintaining Resolution (Shou zhi) *X Luan

Notes

References

*Davis, A. R. (Albert Richard), Editor and Introduction,(1970), ''The Penguin Book of Chinese Verse''. (Baltimore: Penguin Books). * * * Hinton, David (2008). ''Classical Chinese Poetry: An Anthology''. New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux. / . * *Scarpari, Maurizio (2006). ''Ancient China: Chinese Civilization from the Origins to the Tang Dynasty''. Vercelli: VMB Publishers. *Yang, Lihui, ''et al.'' (2005). ''Handbook of Chinese Mythology''. New York: Oxford University Press. *Yip, Wai-lim (1997). ''Chinese Poetry: An Anthology of Major Modes and Genres ''. (Durham and London: Duke University Press). * *

External links

Full Chinese text of ''Chu Ci'' at the Chinese Text Project
{{Chinese poetry Chinese classic texts Chinese poetry collections Chu (state)