Nine Longings () form one of the 17 major sections of the ancient Chinese poetry collection, the ''
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 ...
''. The "Nine Longings" consists of ten poems (or, nine plus ''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 ...
), each individually titled, written according to the style of the earlier pieces in the ''Chu ci'' anthology. It is one of the several collections of poems grouped under the title of "Nine" something-or-others, most but not all of which consist of 9 pieces of poetry. One of the older of them, ''Jiu ge'' ("Nine Songs") consists of 11 individual pieces: "nine" in antiquity was often used as a synonym for "many", and in the context of the ''Chu ci'' generally refers to a musical arrangement with "nine" modal changes. (Hawkes, 2011
985
Year 985 ( CMLXXXV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
By place
Europe
* Summer – Henry II (the Wrangler) is restored as duke of Bavaria by Empress Theoph ...
36–37) The "Nine Longings" poems were written by 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 ...
royal librarian,
Wang Yi, who is more famous for his commentary on the ''Chu ci'' than he is for these original works which he appended to his published annotated copy. (Hawkes, 2011
985
Year 985 ( CMLXXXV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
By place
Europe
* Summer – Henry II (the Wrangler) is restored as duke of Bavaria by Empress Theoph ...
307)
Content
Wang Yi manages to produce somewhat of a
Confucian
Confucianism, also known as Ruism or Ru classicism, is a system of thought and behavior originating in ancient China. Variously described as tradition, a philosophy, a Religious Confucianism, religion, a humanistic or rationalistic religion, ...
version of ''Chuci'' poetry, using its conventionalized symbolism. In nine verses with an envoi:
*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
(Hawkes 1985, 307-321)
See also
*
Chuci
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 ...
*
List of Chuci contents
This is a list of the sections and individual pieces contained within the ancient poetry anthology ''Chu Ci'' (), also known as ''Songs of the South'' or ''Songs of Chu'', which is an anthology of Classical Chinese poetry verse traditionally attr ...
*"
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 ...
"
*
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, ...
*
"Nine Longings", in Chinese (九思)
References
*
Hawkes, David, translator and introduction (2011
985
Year 985 ( CMLXXXV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
By place
Europe
* Summer – Henry II (the Wrangler) is restored as duke of Bavaria by Empress Theoph ...
. Qu Yuan ''et al.'', ''The Songs of the South: An Ancient Chinese Anthology of Poems by Qu Yuan and Other Poets''. London: Penguin Books.
{{Chinese poetry
Chinese poems