Ci Poems of the Scattered Flower Hermitage

黄昇Jun 2024

3.5

Word count: 4.1K words
Chapters: 41

Summary

Traditional Chinese thought has a long history and is highly original, inventive and literary. Early intellectual forms are highly distinctive: religious theology, classics of Chinese medicine, ancient military strategy, Confucianism, Daoism, Buddhism and the Hundred Schools, feng shui and metaphysics, the Twenty-Four Histories, customs and local gazetteers—all are profound and vast. This "Essence of Classic Chinese Culture: Original Texts" series preserves the appearance of the original books and focuses on preserving and transmitting traditional Chinese thought and culture. Reading the literary essence left by ancient sages cultivates character and subtly introduces readers to the classics of Chinese learning.

Editor's review

San Hua An Ci is a collection of ci poetry by the Southern Song poet Huang Sheng. This edition is issued in the "Classic Chinese Studies Essence Culture Original Texts" series, preserving the original form and focusing on conserving and transmitting traditional thought and culture. Huang Sheng himself compiled Hua An Ci Xuan, and had a clear eye for the origins and development of ci studies; his own San Hua An Ci is also distinguished for its clear, graceful, and restrained style, with themes mostly expressing feelings through landscape and reflecting on the seasons, in a style close to the orthodox and refined line. For readers who wish to understand the Southern Song ci world of the mid-to-late period beyond anthologies, this collection provides a rare sample: it is both a body of work and a window into Huang Sheng's tastes in ci studies. This edition does not offer excessive modern interpretation and is suited to readers willing to read the original texts slowly and appreciate classical ci meter and imagery. It can be read alongside Hua An Ci Xuan to appreciate the ci orientation under the dual identity of editor and author. Overall, this is a classical ci collection suitable for keeping on one's desk and savoring repeatedly.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in Song ci poetry who wish to go beyond anthologies
Those learning classical poetry composition who want to experience an elegant, orthodox style
Literature enthusiasts studying Southern Song ci scholarship and the relationship between Huang Sheng and his anthologies
Readers of Chinese classics who prefer slow reading of primary texts and value the original form of editions

Not a good fit for

Beginning readers who want only vernacular appreciation and are unwilling to engage with the original text
Readers expecting modern annotation and line-by-line translation
Those who prefer the bold and unconstrained style and have little interest in the delicate and restrained

Reading tips

First read through without worrying about details to get a feel for the overall style, then choose favorite pieces for close reading
Read alongside Huang Sheng's Huian Ci Xuan and note how his selection criteria echo his own style
Keep a reference book on ci prosody at hand and consult it whenever a tune title appears to deepen understanding
After every few poems, copy out the line that moves you most to build a feel for the language

版权信息
散花庵词
贺新郎
贺新郎
贺新郎（菊）
贺新郎（梅）
木兰花慢（题冯云月玉连环词后）
木兰花慢（乙巳病中）
木兰花慢（怀旧）
南柯子（丁酉清明）
南柯子（丙申重九）
行香子（梅）
卖花声（己亥三月一日）
卖花声（忆旧）
长相思（秋怀）
长相思（秋夜）
长相思（春晚）
感皇恩（送饶溪嘉游浙）
蝶恋花（春感）
月照梨花（闺怨）
摸鱼儿
水龙吟（赠丁南邻）
西河（已亥秋作）
清平乐（宫怨）
清平乐（宫词）
酹江月（戏题玉林）
酹江月（夜凉）
浣沙溪
鹧鸪天（暮春）
鹧鸪天（张园作）
秦楼月（秋夕）
重叠金（壬寅立秋）
重叠金（冬）
重叠金（除日立春）
谒金门（初春）
南乡子（夏夜）
南乡子（冬夜）
花发沁园春（芍药会上）
阮郎归（做姜尧章体）
鹊桥仙（春情）
鹧鸪天

FAQ

Is this book annotated or a facsimile of the original text?

According to the publisher, this series aims to preserve the original appearance of the texts and to preserve and transmit traditional thought and culture; it presents primary texts rather than line-by-line annotation. Readers who need modern notes may consult relevant reference works on ci scholarship alongside it.

Can someone with no background in ci poetry read Sanhua An Ci?

Yes, but there is a threshold. The collection is primarily the original text with no line-by-line commentary, so beginners may find tune patterns and allusions unfamiliar. It is best to learn some basics of ci prosody first, or start with short, image-clear xiaoling and work gradually deeper.

What are the characteristics of Huang Sheng's ci style?

Huang Sheng is known for compiling the Huian Ci Xuan, and his own ci generally follows the elegant and restrained path, writing mostly of landscape, the seasons and personal feeling, in clear language and a calm tone. Reading him together with his role as an anthologist makes it easier to see how Southern Song ci taste informs his own work.

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

黄昇 Author

Huang Sheng is an editor in the field of classical poetry whose works survive but whose life remains difficult to trace. Public information about him is limited: his native place, dates of birth and death, and official career are not precisely recorded, so he can be known today only through the three works transmitted under his name. Among them, Huian Ci Xuan and Tang Song Zhu Xian Jue Miao Ci Xuan best reveal his judgment. The former collects ci poems in anthology form, while the latter focuses on famous works by Tang and Song masters, balancing representative pieces with readability and showing a clear sense of literary appreciation, thus offering later readers an accessible path into the world of classical ci. San Hua An Ci shows that he was not only a selector but also a writer of ci, and the style of his own works resonates with the spirit of the poems he chose. Overall, Huang Sheng's contribution lies mainly in the compilation and appreciation of ci studies; his anthologies preserved works and spread the art of ci, exerting a lasting influence on the reading and reception of classical poetry.