Waiting for a Guest on the Terrace

韦应物Nanhai Publication Company · ChinaJun 2024

4.2

Word count: 4.6K words
Chapters: 49

Summary

Wei Yingwu (737–792) was a Chinese poet of the Tang dynasty. Of Han ethnicity, he was a native of Chang'an (present-day Xi'an, Shaanxi). A great-grandson of Wei Daijia, Right Chancellor of Wenchang, he came from the Xiaoyao Gong branch of the Jingzhao Wei clan. Extant works include the ten-juan Wei Jiangzhou Collection, the two-juan Wei Suzhou Poetry Collection, and the ten-juan Wei Suzhou Collection. Only one piece of his prose survives. Because he served as Prefect of Suzhou, he is commonly known as "Wei Suzhou." His poetic style is tranquil and lofty, and he is known for his skill in landscape description and portrayals of reclusive life.

Editor's review

Wei Yingwu was a Tang dynasty poet of the mid-period with a distinct style; he served as Prefect of Suzhou, hence the name "Wei Suzhou," and is known for a tranquil, lofty style and for his skill in writing landscapes and scenes of reclusive life. The title "Lingering for a Guest on the Terrace" suggests waiting and gazing into the distance, which suits the cool landscapes and composed mood common in his work. Reading Wei Yingwu, one senses a quiet free of ornamentation: his scenery does not pile up fine words, his feeling is not loudly declared, and emotion often hides in the scenery and the passage of time. For readers accustomed to the grandeur of High Tang verse, his poems offer another tempo—more inward, closer to everyday leisure and farewell. This book is suited to slow reading in quiet hours; there is no need to hurry or to parse every word—first feel the images and tone, then notice where the feeling turns. Owing to limited information, the specific contents and editorial format could not be confirmed; when purchasing, readers may wish to look through the table of contents to confirm it is the kind of selection they need.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Lovers of Tang landscape and pastoral poetry who want to broaden their reading
Readers who prefer a spare, understated style and seek a quiet reading experience
Students who need to understand Wei Yingwu's style and mid-Tang poetry more broadly

Not a good fit for

Professional researchers seeking detailed annotations and collated editions
Readers who prefer vigorous, bold, or strongly narrative poetry
Beginners who need ready-made vernacular translations to follow along

Reading tips

Choose a quiet time to read a few poems; read the landscape description first, then sense the feeling within
Read landscape lines alongside themes of farewell and leisure, noting how the poet handles time and waiting
When a poem appeals to you, copy out the full text and mark the lines that made you pause

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
【登蒲塘驿沿路见泉谷村墅忽想京师旧居追怀昔年】韦应物
【经函谷关】韦应物
【经武功旧宅】韦应物
【往云门郊居途经回流作】韦应物
【乘月过西郊渡】韦应物
【晚归沣川】韦应物
【授衣还田里】韦应物
【夕次盱眙县】韦应物
【春月观省属城，始憩东西林精舍】韦应物
【自蒲塘驿回驾经历山水】韦应物
【山行积雨，归途始霁】韦应物
【伤逝（此后十九首，尽同德精舍旧居伤怀时所作）】韦应物
【往富平伤怀】韦应物
【出还】韦应物
【冬夜】韦应物
【送终】韦应物
【除日】韦应物
【对芳树】韦应物
【月夜】韦应物
【叹杨花】韦应物
【过昭国里故第】韦应物
【夏日】韦应物
【端居感怀】韦应物
【悲纨扇】韦应物
【闲斋对雨】韦应物
【林园晚霁】韦应物
【秋夜二首】韦应物
【感梦】韦应物
【同德精舍旧居伤怀】韦应物
【悲故交】韦应物
【张彭州前与缑氏冯少府各惠寄一篇多故未答…兼远简冯生】韦应物
【东林精舍见故殿中郑侍御题诗追旧书情涕泗横集…冯少府】韦应物
【同李二过亡友郑子故第（李与之故，非予所识）】韦应物
【话旧（亭中对兄姊话兰陵崇贤怀真已来故事，泫然而作）】韦应物
【至开化里寿春公故宅】韦应物
【睢阳感怀】韦应物
【广德中洛阳作】韦应物
【阊门怀古】韦应物
【感事】韦应物
【感镜】韦应物
【叹白发】韦应物
卷一百九十二
【登高望洛城作】韦应物
【同德寺阁集眺】韦应物
【登宝意寺上方旧游（寺在武功，曾居此寺）】韦应物
【登乐游庙作】韦应物
【登西南冈卜居遇雨寻竹浪至沣壖萦带…清流茂树云物可赏】韦应物
【沣上与幼遐月夜登西冈玩花】韦应物

FAQ

What subjects does Wei Yingwu's poetry mainly treat?

According to the source, Wei Yingwu's style is tranquil and lofty, and he is known for his skill in landscape description and portrayals of reclusive life. His works often feature mountains and waters, leisure, and farewell; the language is plain, the feeling understated, and the overall air composed and quiet—suited to slow, attentive reading.

I've never read Wei Yingwu—is this a good place to start?

It can serve as an entry point for understanding his style, but you should first look through the contents to confirm the specific selections and editorial format. For systematic study, consult alongside an anthology with annotations and notes on compositional context, so as to understand the mid-Tang poetic setting.

Is this book suited to reading straight through?

Not really. Wei Yingwu's poems are slow in pace and inward in feeling; reading them quickly in succession can feel flat. Better to read a small number at a time, leaving room to savor them, and to copy or annotate as you go.

Related on WeRead

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

韦应物 Author

Wei Yingwu was a poet of the Tang dynasty. Publicly available sources provide only limited information about his life, including his birth and death dates and native place, so no conjecture is offered here. The library contains 12 of his works, commonly classified under ancient poetry and culture. Representative titles include Er Huangjing, Sending Off Fang of Hangzhou, Waiting for a Guest on the Terrace, To Cui Yuanwai, Sending Yuan Cangcao Back to Guangling, The Mountain Hermit, and Thinking of My Old Home in the South Garden in Early Summer. These titles suggest themes of farewell and poetic exchange, mountain retreats and Daoist reclusion, and seasonal reflections; his lines often move from the scenery before him to thoughts of friends and his old home, with plain language and deep feeling. Wei Yingwu is known for a clear, leisurely and distant style that gave him a distinct place in Tang poetry and influenced later landscape, pastoral and lyric verse. Given the limited materials in the library, details of his life and the dating of his works require further study.