Ballad of Joining the Army

王昌龄Nanhai Publication Company · ChinaJun 2024

4.8

Word count: 3.6K words
Chapters: 49

Report an error Find this book

Summary

"Cong Jun Xing" (Seven Poems) is a set of poems by the Tang dynasty poet Wang Changling.

Editor's review

Wang Changling's "Cong Jun Xing" (Seven Poems) is a representative work among Tang frontier poem sets. The seven poems are each independent yet echo one another, writing about the circumstances and feelings of frontier soldiers from different angles. Wang Changling excels at creating a broad sense of time and space in short works; his language is concise and his imagery vivid, with both the vastness of frontier scenery and the twists of soldiers' longing for home, and the set structure lets readers see multiple variations on the same theme. This Nanhai Publishing House edition presents the set as a unit, making it easy for readers to grasp the layers and progression among the seven poems as a whole, and suitable as an entry point for understanding the landscape of High Tang frontier poetry. When reading, first understand each poem's situation, then compare the seven laterally for similarities and differences in perspective, emotion, and technique, and appreciate the set's characteristic of being "separate yet unified." For classroom teaching or book club discussion, this set is moderate in length and rich in meaning, making it a fine shared text.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in High Tang frontier poetry who want to understand how poem sets are composed
Language teachers who need short poem sets as classroom reading material
Classical poetry lovers who prefer concise short pieces and savor imagery and mood
Organizers preparing shared reading texts for book clubs who want ample room for discussion

Not a good fit for

Specialist researchers expecting detailed annotations and academic textual criticism
Readers who prefer long works and lack patience for short poems and sets

Reading tips

Read each poem through first and summarize its situation in one sentence, then compare the shifts in perspective across the seven as a whole.
Mark recurring images and observe whether their meanings shift across the seven poems.
Read the whole set aloud, feeling each poem's rhythm and way of closing, and appreciate the effect of restraint in short pieces.
After reading, try reordering the seven poems by emotion or scene, and explain your reasons for the order.

About the publisher

Nanhai Publication Company China · Founded in 1988

Nanhai Publication Company is a comprehensive publisher known for its literature and arts titles, covering fields such as classical poetry, martial arts fiction, and folk literature. Judging from the more than 1,600 books in the database, the company has released classical poetic works including the Nineteen Old Poems and the Nine Songs, as well as multiple volumes of Huanzhulouzhu's series The Swordsmen of Mount Shu, along with related writings by authors such as Guan Hanqing, Qu Yuan, Zuo Si, and Wang Zhihuan. Its publishing character lies in balancing the organization of classic texts with the dissemination of popular literature, placing poetry anthologies alongside long martial arts novels and presenting a relatively diverse literary profile. Public information is limited, and further details about its editorial practices and series planning remain to be supplemented.

版权信息
【和常州崔使君寒食夜】孙逖
【和韦兄春日南亭宴兄弟（兄在京）】孙逖
【奉和崔司马游云门寺】孙逖
【酬万八贺九云门下归溪中作】孙逖
【春初送吕补阙往西岳勒碑得云字】孙逖
【送越州裴参军充使入京】孙逖
【送周判官往台州】孙逖
【送魏骑曹充宇文侍御判官分按山南】孙逖
【送苏郎中绾出佐荆州】孙逖
【冬末送魏起居赴京】孙逖
【送李补阙摄御史充河西节度判官】孙逖
【送赵评事摄御史监军岭南】孙逖
【送靳十五侍御使蜀】孙逖
【送李给事归徐州觐省】孙逖
【送杜侍御赴上都】孙逖
【送张环摄御史监南选】孙逖
【宴越府陈法曹西亭】孙逖
【同邢判官寻龙湍观归湖中】孙逖
【寻龙湍】孙逖
【宿云门寺阁】孙逖
【扬子江楼】孙逖
【淮阴夜宿二首】孙逖
【下京口埭夜行】孙逖
【山行遇雨】孙逖
【夜到润州】孙逖
【和常州崔使君咏后庭梅二首】孙逖
【同和咏楼前海石榴二首】孙逖
【故右丞相赠太师燕文贞公挽词二首】孙逖
【故陈州刺史赠兵部尚书韦公挽词】孙逖
【故程将军妻南阳郡夫人樊氏挽歌】孙逖
【和上巳连寒食有怀京洛】孙逖
【和左司张员外自洛使入京中路先赴长安…韦侍御等诸公】孙逖
【和崔司马登称心山寺】孙逖
【奉和李右相中书壁画山水】孙逖
【奉和李右相赏会昌林亭】孙逖
【和左卫武仓曹卫中对雨创韵赠右卫李骑曹】孙逖
【送新罗法师还国】孙逖
【送赵大夫护边（一作送赵都护赴安西）】孙逖
【立秋日题安昌寺北山亭】孙逖
【登越州城】孙逖
【江行有怀】孙逖
【长洲苑（吴黄武中，此地校猎）】孙逖
【和咏廨署有樱桃】孙逖
【同洛阳李少府观永乐公主入蕃】孙逖
【途中口号】孙逖
【晦日湖塘】孙逖
【句】孙逖
卷一百一十九

FAQ

Do the seven poems need to be read in order?

It is best to first read through in the original order to grasp the set's overall arrangement and progression, then choose individual poems for close reading according to interest. The order itself may contain layers of emotion or perspective, so reading in order first helps understand the intent of the arrangement. Once familiar, comparing them in a different order can also reveal each poem's relative independence.

Can I understand this set without experience of frontier life?

Absolutely. Wang Changling's frontier poems focus on conveying imagery and emotion rather than recording specific battles. By grasping the scenery, the soldiers' psychology, and the shifts in time and space, readers can enter the situation. Some basic background on Tang frontier poetry helps, but specialized historical knowledge is not required.

Is this set suitable for line-by-line explanation in class?

It is suitable, but the seven poems should not be given equal weight. Choose one or two poems with concentrated imagery and richer emotional layers for close line-by-line reading, and cover the rest through comparative reading. This ensures depth of explanation while letting students see the set as a whole, avoiding an overlong class period.

Comments

Find this book

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

王昌龄 Author

Wang Changling is a renowned poet in ancient China. Reliable public sources differ on his birthplace and the exact years of his birth and death, and the available information is limited, so these details cannot be described in full. The library currently holds nine of his works, including "Going beyond the Frontier," "Army Life," "Ancient Sentiments," "Seeing Off My Fifteenth Maternal Uncle," as well as The Complete Works of Wang Changling, The Collected Works of Wang Changling, The Rules of Poetry, and "Enjoying the Moon by the Eastern Stream." These works show that he excelled in frontier poetry and farewell verse, often dealing with garrison warfare, parting feelings, and personal reflections. His language is concise, his imagery broad, and his emotion sincere, giving his poetry a distinctive place in the classical tradition. "Going beyond the Frontier" and "Army Life" have long been regarded as important representatives of frontier poetry and have had a lasting influence, while The Rules of Poetry reflects his thinking on poetic creation. Because sources are limited, his biographical details are not elaborated here; readers may come to know his artistic style through his works.