Ancient Dirge

孟云卿Nanhai Publication Company · ChinaJun 2024

3.7

Word count: 3.5K words
Chapters: 48

Summary

Meng Yunqing (705–781), courtesy name Shengzhi, was a native of Fankou in Wuchang (present-day Ezhou). During the Tianbao era he went to Chang'an for the examinations but failed; he passed the jinshi examination only after the age of thirty. Under Emperor Suzong he served as collator of texts. Seventeen of his poems survive. In plain, unadorned language his poetry reflects social reality and was held in esteem by Du Fu and Yuan Jie.

Editor's review

Only seventeen of Meng Yunqing's poems survive, yet the esteem of Du Fu and Yuan Jie secured him a place in the Tang poetic landscape. In plain, unadorned language his poetry strikes directly at social reality, achieving force without ornament, a style that makes him a telling specimen of the shift from High Tang to Mid-Tang poetics. This collected edition of his works allows readers to examine closely a poet long neglected by mainstream literary-historical narrative. Reading Meng Yunqing one senses a blunt, brooding texture that contrasts with the brilliance of his contemporaries; the book suits readers curious about the diverse face of Tang poetry. The poems are short and the language direct, easy to read, yet the marks of the age and the poet's personal fortunes are worth savoring. For readers who wish to step outside the framework of canonical masters and understand the actual writing conditions of mid- and lower-ranking Tang literati, this small collection offers a plain and genuine entry point.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Literature lovers with a basic knowledge of Tang poetry who wish to broaden their reading
Readers drawn to classical poems on social reality and to a plain style
Students and teachers studying the evolution of Tang poetry or the writing of mid- and lower-ranking literati

Not a good fit for

Deep researchers expecting a large body of work or lengthy annotation
Readers who prefer ornate diction and densely layered imagery
Beginners without a habit of reading classical poetry

Reading tips

First read all the poems straight through to sense the overall style, then return to savor the few that left the deepest impression.
Consider how Meng Yunqing's style relates to his times in light of the esteem of Du Fu and Yuan Jie.
After each poem, note your response in a sentence or two, without aiming for academic interpretation.

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
【题南峰褚道士】于鹄
【赠不食姑】于鹄
【送李明府归别业】于鹄
【题树下禅师】于鹄
【宿王尊师隐居】于鹄
【题服柏先生】于鹄
【哭凌霄山光上人】于鹄
【途中寄杨涉】于鹄
【送韦判官归蓟门】于鹄
【出塞】于鹄
【赠李太守】于鹄
【送张司直入单于（一作送客游边）】于鹄
【惜花】于鹄
【春山居】于鹄
【游瀑泉寺】于鹄
【送宫人入道归山】于鹄
【巴女谣】于鹄
【公子行】于鹄
【长安游】于鹄
【别齐太守】于鹄
【登古城】于鹄
【哭刘夫子】于鹄
【醉后寄山中友人】于鹄
【温泉僧房】于鹄
【题美人】于鹄
【寻李暹】于鹄
【寻李逸人旧居】于鹄
【赠碧玉】于鹄
【舟中月明夜闻笛】于鹄
【送迁客二首】于鹄
【赠王道者（一作赠隐者）】于鹄
【题合溪乾洞（又见刘商集，题作题潘师房）】于鹄
【过张老园林（一作村园）】于鹄
【寓意（一作荆南陪楚尚书惜落花）】于鹄
【哭王都护】于鹄
【饯司农宋卿立太尉碑了还江东】于鹄
【送唐大夫让节归山（一作送唐中丞入道）】于鹄
【买山吟】于鹄
【古词三首】于鹄
【秦越人洞中咏】于鹄
【宿西山修下元斋咏】于鹄
【过凌霄洞天谒张先生祠】于鹄
【早上凌霄第六峰入紫谿礼白鹤观祠】于鹄
【山中访道者（一作入白芝溪寻黄尊师）】于鹄
【寄卢俨员外秋衣词】于鹄
【种树】于鹄
【哭李暹（一作赵嘏诗）】于鹄

FAQ

Meng Yunqing has only seventeen surviving poems; is it worth reading a whole book devoted to him?

Yes. Though few, his poems have a plain, brooding style that reflects the actual writing of some Tang literati, and the esteem of Du Fu and Yuan Jie gives him value as a specimen of literary history. The small size makes concentrated reading easier; there is no need to seek quantity.

Can I understand this book without a deep grounding in classical poetry?

Meng Yunqing's language is plain and relies little on allusions or elaborate imagery, so the barrier to reading is relatively low. Still, if you have had no contact with classical poetry at all, it is advisable to read some anthologies of Tang poetry first to develop a feel for the language.

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About the author

孟云卿 Author

Meng Yunqing's biographical details are now limited: his birth and death years, native place, and courtesy name are not clearly recorded, so his literary profile can only be understood from his surviving works and scattered references in later anthologies. The library currently holds one work by him, "Ancient Elegy" (Gu Wange). The poem belongs to the elegy tradition within ancient Chinese poetry, centering on life and death, parting and loss; its tone is somber, its language plain, and it shows the influence of the elegy tradition dating back to the Han and Wei periods. Judging from the extant text, Meng Yunqing's writing tends toward direct expression of grief rather than elaborate ornamentation, and he is skilled at creating a mournful atmosphere with simple, restrained lines, giving him a certain representative place among Tang-dynasty works on this theme. Because public information is limited, his life, social connections, and literary activities cannot be described in detail, and scholars mostly examine him through his works themselves and through comments in successive generations of poetry criticism and anthologies. Overall, Meng Yunqing is known for elegies such as "Ancient Elegy"; his writing reflects ancient poets' attention to the theme of life and death and provides a useful text for later generations seeking to understand Tang-dynasty elegiac poetry.