Ancient Sentiments

王昌龄Nanhai Publication Company · ChinaJun 2024

4.4

Word count: 4K words
Chapters: 50

Summary

Wang Changling (698–757), courtesy name Shaobo, Han Chinese, was a native of Jinyang in Hedong (present-day Taiyuan, Shanxi); another account names Jingzhao Chang'an (present-day Xi'an). A famous frontier poet of the High Tang, he was later hailed as the "Sage of the Seven-Character Quatrain."

Editor's review

Wang Changling is best known for his seven-character quatrains, which earned him the later title "Sage of the Seven-Character Quatrain," and his frontier poems are especially celebrated. This collection of his poems is suited to concentrated appreciation of the rhythm and imagery of the High Tang seven-character quatrain. His poems are often short yet vividly pictorial; the frontier pieces have both boldness and desolation, while farewell and boudoir-lament poems are subtle and deeply felt, easy to read yet rewarding to revisit. Readers may treat it as a light entry point into High Tang poetry: there is no need to plow through literary history first; simply feel the measure of the language in individual poems, then note how the same subject is handled differently from poem to poem. For readers who wish to sharpen their appreciation of classical poetry or who need to teach the seven-character quatrain in class, this collection offers a textual foundation for repeated recitation. It should be noted that Wang Changling's poems are best understood in the context of High Tang frontier life and official career, though one need not rely excessively on biographical anecdotes.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Lovers of classical poetry who wish to read High Tang seven-character quatrains in a concentrated way
Primary and secondary school Chinese teachers and educators who need to teach frontier poetry
Candidates preparing for examinations in ancient literature who need familiarity with Wang Changling's works
General readers who enjoy short lyric poetry and wish to improve their appreciation

Not a good fit for

Readers interested only in fiction or modern prose and not in classical poetry
Absolute beginners who need detailed word-by-word annotation and full translation
Specialist scholars seeking a systematic study of Wang Changling's life and poetics

Reading tips

Read three to five poems a day, reciting aloud first and then consulting annotations to understand words and allusions.
Read the frontier poems and the farewell and boudoir-lament poems in separate groups and compare their tone and structure.
Keep a notebook to copy out favorite lines and record your own responses before consulting criticism.
After finishing, choose one or two poems to memorize and feel the rhythm and closure of the seven-character quatrain.

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
【句】戴衢
卷775_13【咏月】李建枢
卷775_14【谢人惠琴材】谢邈
卷775_15【谢僧寄拄杖】谢邈
卷775_16【失题二首】唐备
卷775_17【道傍木】唐备
卷775_18【失题（一作陈叔宝诗）】方棫
卷775_19【失题】范夜
卷775_20【失题】卢群玉
卷775_21【投卢尚书】卢群玉
卷775_22【失题二首】杨行敏
卷775_23【吴江别王长史】张怀
卷775_24【题天台石桥】赵湘
卷775_25【寄朗陵兄】杨持
卷775_26【咏dD溪在历阳西一里】李聪
卷775_27【耒阳杜工部祠堂】徐介
卷775_28【登单于台】李士元
卷775_29【登阁】李士元
卷七百七十六
卷776_1【山中作】冯道之
卷776_2【短歌二首】徐谦
卷776_3【塞下曲】杨达
卷776_4【明妃怨】杨达
卷776_5【送邹尊师归洞庭（一作杨达诗）】杨逵
卷776_6【送张兵曹赴营田】魏兼恕
卷776_7【晚霁登汝南大云阁】贾彦璋
卷776_8【宿香山阁】贾彦璋
卷776_9【苏著作山池】贾彦璋
卷776_10【王龙骧墓】贾彦璋
卷776_11【折杨柳】欧阳瑾
卷776_12【江南曲】李叔卿
卷776_13【芳树】李叔卿
卷776_14【送杨谏议赴河西节度判官兼呈韩王二侍御】熊曜
卷776_15【登巴陵开元寺西阁赠衡岳僧方外】李宾
卷776_16【登瓦官寺阁】李宾
卷776_17【金陵怀古】唐尧臣
卷776_18【咏浮沤为辛明府作】郑缙
卷776_19【莺（一作孙处玄诗）】郑缙
卷776_20【鹦鹉】吴英秀
卷776_21【马】陈凝
卷776_22【凤】伊梦昌
卷776_23【送韦员外赴朔方】郑严
卷776_24【险竿行】柳曾
卷776_25【琵琶行】牛殳
卷776_26【方响歌】牛殳
卷776_27【经太华】卫光一
卷776_28【季夏入北山】林璠
卷776_29【适思】颜胄
卷七百七十七

FAQ

Why is Wang Changling called the "Sage of the Seven-Character Quatrain"?

Wang Changling was a famous High Tang poet, especially renowned for his seven-character quatrains, and later generations therefore honored him with this title. It highlights his achievement and influence in this form. When reading this book, pay particular attention to how his seven-character quatrains open, develop, turn, and close, and to how they end, so as to grasp the poetic qualities the title refers to.

Do I need to know High Tang history first to read this collection?

Not necessarily. Wang Changling's short poems are strongly pictorial, and direct recitation yields aesthetic pleasure on its own. For deeper understanding, some knowledge of the High Tang frontier context and the poet's official career helps in grasping the emotions in certain works, but biographical anecdotes should not be treated as the sole basis for interpreting every poem.

Is this book suitable for preparing for Chinese exams?

It can serve as a reader for becoming familiar with Wang Changling's works, but whether it directly matches exam texts depends on the specific textbook and syllabus. It is best used as supplementary reading: recite the original poems, accumulate images and modes of expression, and combine this with classroom instruction and practice on past papers for more reliable results.

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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.