''New Songs from the Jade Terrace'' () is an anthology of early medieval Chinese poetry in the romantic or semi-erotic "palace style" (''gongti'' ) that dates to the late
Southern dynasties period (420589). Most editions of ''New Songs'' contain 670 poems by many different authors, mainly comprising pentasyllabic poetry but also some ''
yuefu
''Yuefu'' are Chinese poems composed in a folk song style. The term originally literally meant "Music Bureau", a reference to the imperial Chinese governmental organization(s) originally charged with collecting or writing the lyrics, later the ...
'' lyrical verse and other types of poems. ''New Songs'' was probably compiled around the early to mid-530s by
Xu Ling
Xu Ling () (507–583) was the compiler and editor of the famous poetry anthology '' New Songs from the Jade Terrace''http://www.chinaknowledge.de/Literature/Poetry/yutaixinyong.html Theobald, Ulrich. CHINAKNOWLEDGEuly July 3, 2010, accessed 14 ...
, an official and scholar who served at the court of
Xiao Gang
Xiao Gang (; born 1958 in Ji'an, Jiangxi) was the chairman of the China Securities Regulatory Commission from March 2013 until 20 February 2016. He was previously chairman of the board of directors of Bank of China Limited, of the Bank of China ...
, a crown prince of the
Liang dynasty
The Liang dynasty (), alternatively known as the Southern Liang () in historiography, was an imperial dynasty of China and the third of the four Southern dynasties during the Northern and Southern dynasties period. It was preceded by the South ...
(502587) who later ascended the throne as Emperor Jianwen of Liang.
The term "Jade Terrace" is a reference to the luxurious palace apartments in to which upper-class women were often relegated, and a number of scholars have concluded that the ''New Songs'' was probably compiled to provide reading material for palace ladies. The American
sinologist
Sinology, or Chinese studies, is an academic discipline that focuses on the study of China primarily through Chinese philosophy, language, literature, culture and history and often refers to Western scholarship. Its origin "may be traced to the ex ...
Burton Watson
Burton Dewitt Watson (June 13, 1925April 1, 2017) was an American sinologist, translator, and writer known for his English translations of Chinese and Japanese literature.Stirling 2006, pg. 92 Watson's translations received many awards, includi ...
notes that this expression may also refer to "a mirror stand of jade such as women use in their toilet; and since the Chinese are fond of elegant euphemisms for parts of the body, it may even have some more esoteric connotation." ''New Songs from a Jade Terrace'' is an important collection of Chinese poetry, in part because of the individual poems which it contains, but also because the overall theme of the collection involves the discussion of sex and gender roles and ideals of love and beauty.
History
A number of details regarding the creation of ''New Songs from the Jade Terrace'' are unclear and subject to debate. Its first surviving mention appears in the bibliographic section of the ''
Book of Sui
The ''Book of Sui'' (''Suí Shū'') is the official history of the Sui dynasty. It ranks among the official Twenty-Four Histories of imperial China. It was written by Yan Shigu, Kong Yingda, and Zhangsun Wuji, with Wei Zheng as the lead author. ...
'', the official dynastic history of the
Sui dynasty
The Sui dynasty (, ) was a short-lived imperial dynasty of China that lasted from 581 to 618. The Sui unified the Northern and Southern dynasties, thus ending the long period of division following the fall of the Western Jin dynasty, and la ...
(589618), and lists "Xu Xiaomu" (the
courtesy name
A courtesy name (), also known as a style name, is a name bestowed upon one at adulthood in addition to one's given name. This practice is a tradition in the East Asian cultural sphere, including China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam.Ulrich Theo ...
of Chinese writer
Xu Ling
Xu Ling () (507–583) was the compiler and editor of the famous poetry anthology '' New Songs from the Jade Terrace''http://www.chinaknowledge.de/Literature/Poetry/yutaixinyong.html Theobald, Ulrich. CHINAKNOWLEDGEuly July 3, 2010, accessed 14 ...
) as its compiler. However, in Xu Ling's official biography in the earlier ''
Book of Chen
The ''Book of Chen'' or ''Chen Shu'' (''Chén Shū'') was the official history of the Chen dynasty, one of the Southern Dynasties of China. The ''Book of Chen'' is part of the official Twenty-Four Histories of imperial China. It was compiled by ...
'', the dynastic history of the
Chen dynasty (557589), the ''New Songs'' is not mentioned. Strangely, the ''New Songs'' does not contain any poems by Xu Ling's father Xu Chi (; 471551), a notable scholar and poet who was traditionally considered the founder of the "palace style" poetry (''gōngtǐ shī'' ) the ''New Songs'' collects.
The textual history of ''New Songs'' is particularly complicated. Although it was compiled in the early- to mid-530s, no manuscript or printing of the ''New Songs'' from before the
Ming dynasty
The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last orthodox dynasty of China ruled by the Han peo ...
(13681644) has survived to modern times. The traditional edition of the ''New Songs'' was printed in 1633 and is based on a late
Song dynasty
The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song following his usurpation of the throne of the Later Zhou. The Song conquered the rest ...
(9601287) edition printed in 1215 that itself was a "patchwork" of two other printed editions and one manuscript copy. It contains 654 poems and was long considered the best surviving edition, but recent scholarship has indicated that it contains a number of significant flaws and errors, causing renewed attention toward other surviving editions.
Contents
''New Songs from a Jade Terrace'' contains poems by about 115 poets, of whom 14 were female. It is divided into ten sections, and 769 headings of verses "devoted almost entirely to poems about love," that is, the primary emphasis is upon male-female love in the context of the women's apartments, and contains material ranging from anonymous
Han Dynasty ballads through poems contemporary to the time of composition. The various poems are mostly by men, though some by women. The collection contains over 600 pieces focused on the ideals of feminine beauty, and some of the poems are matter-of-factly homoerotic, describing the beloved young man involved in much the same terms as the female beloved is in other pieces. In other cases, a "hint of fetishism" is shown in poetic verses describing the objects associated with the men or women described in the poems; that is, their bedrooms and feast halls, the musical instruments, lamps or mirror-stands which they handle, or the fine stationary upon which they write their love notes.
[Watson, 91-92]
References
Footnotes
Works cited
*
*
*
*Watson, Burton (1971). ''Chinese Lyricism: Shih Poetry from the Second to the Twelfth Century''. New York: Columbia University Press.
See also
*
Bao Linghui
*
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 dy ...
*
Emperor Jianwen of Liang
Emperor Jianwen of Liang (梁簡文帝; 2 December 503 – 551), personal name Xiao Gang (蕭綱), courtesy name Shizuan (世纘), childhood name Liutong (六通), was an emperor of the Chinese Liang Dynasty. He was initially not the crown princ ...
*
J. H. Prynne
Jeremy Halvard Prynne (born 24 June 1936) is a British poet closely associated with the British Poetry Revival.
Prynne grew up in Kent and was educated at St Dunstan's College, Catford, and Jesus College, Cambridge. He is a Life Fellow of Gonvil ...
*
Six Dynasties
Six Dynasties (; 220–589 or 222–589) is a collective term for six Han-ruled Chinese dynasties that existed from the early 3rd century AD to the late 6th century AD. The Six Dynasties period overlapped with the era of the Sixteen Kingdoms ...
*
Six Dynasties poetry
Six Dynasties poetry refers to those types or styles of poetry particularly associated with the Six Dynasties era of China (220 CE – 589 CE). This poetry reflects one of the poetry world's more important flowerings, as well as being a u ...
*
Liang Dynasty
The Liang dynasty (), alternatively known as the Southern Liang () in historiography, was an imperial dynasty of China and the third of the four Southern dynasties during the Northern and Southern dynasties period. It was preceded by the South ...
External links
''Yutai xinyong'' page at Chinaknowledge.org
(regarding guqin
The ''guqin'' (; ) is a plucked seven-string Chinese musical instrument. It has been played since ancient times, and has traditionally been favoured by scholars and Scholar-bureaucrats, literati as an instrument of great subtlety and refinemen ...
musical instrument lyrics)
{{DEFAULTSORT:New Songs From The Jade Terrace
Chinese poetry anthologies