Complete Ci Poems of Wang Yan

全宋词Jul 2024

3.5

Word count: 4.4K words
Chapters: 47

Summary

This collection is part of the Complete Song Ci. Ci began in the Southern Liang, took shape in the Tang, and reached its height in the Song. Tang poetry and Song ci have long been regarded as twin peaks, each representing the literature of a great historical era. According to statistics, more than 1,300 writers of ci in the Northern and Southern Song have works extant, and their total output amounts to nearly 20,000 pieces! These figures alone convey the scale of composition at the time. Song ci falls mainly into two styles, the "graceful and restrained" and the "bold and unconstrained," each exquisite in its own way and each at its height, rich and varied.

Editor's review

This book extracts the works attributed to Wang Yan from the Complete Song Ci and presents them separately, so that readers can gain a concentrated view of this Southern Song ci poet's creative profile. Compared with anthologies covering a whole era, a single-author volume of moderate size lets one see both the graceful and the bold styles alternating in one writer's hands, and makes it easier to observe how Southern Song literati actually wrote on such subjects as everyday poetic exchange and seasonal reflection. For general readers it can serve as a bridge from famous pieces to more ordinary authors; for researchers it allows quick checking of Wang Yan's ci and verification of individual titles. Note that this book is a split reprint from the Complete Song Ci, with limited annotation and textual collation, and should not replace a full critical edition. Read it alongside the Complete Song Ci and Song ci anthologies: read through first, then excerpt, and the gain will be more substantial.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who have read Su Shi, Xin Qiji and other famous ci poets and wish to extend their reading to more ordinary Southern Song writers
University students of classical Chinese literature who need to consult Wang Yan's ci titles in a concentrated way
Readers who enjoy both the graceful and the bold styles of Song ci and are willing to do comparative topic reading
Primary and secondary school Chinese teachers who want supplementary Song ci reading material for students

Not a good fit for

Complete beginners with no grounding in Song ci who hope to start from famous pieces
Advanced researchers who need detailed annotation, textual collation and chronological verification
Readers who prefer modern vernacular poetry and have no interest in classical verse forms

Reading tips

Read through once, marking favorite cipai and lines, then go back for close reading.
After each piece, jot down its subject and mood, and summarize Wang Yan's recurring images.
Read alongside the Complete Song Ci or a standard Song ci anthology and compare the selections.
Read grouped by cipai to observe how works in the same cipai vary.

版权信息
蝶恋花
点绛唇
水调歌头
念奴娇
鹧鸪天
阮郎归
青玉案
浪淘沙令
木兰花慢
清平乐
浪淘沙
卜算子
江城子
虞美人
南乡子
忆秦娥
临江仙
好事近
水调歌头
念奴娇
浪淘沙令
采桑子
好事近
临江仙
卜算子
木兰花慢
小重山
阮郎归
临江仙
水调歌头
南柯子
好事近
朝中措
南柯子
朝中措
西江月
柳梢青
踏莎行
清平乐
南柯子
夜行船
临江仙
蓦山溪
忆秦娥
满江红
玉楼春

FAQ

Is this book the complete ci collection of Wang Yan?

The book is described as part of the Complete Song Ci, a version that extracts Wang Yan's ci separately. It is convenient for concentrated reading and checking, but annotation and textual collation are limited; for in-depth research, still consult the Complete Song Ci and related critical editions.

Can I read it without any grounding in Song ci?

You can, but there is a certain threshold. The book has no detailed annotation, so cipai, allusions and the Southern Song background must be looked up by the reader. It is advisable to first read some annotated Song ci anthologies as a foundation, then come to this single-author collection for smoother understanding.

What style does Wang Yan's ci mainly belong to?

The material only states that Song ci broadly divides into the graceful and the bold schools, each exquisite. As for Wang Yan individually, the book offers no definitive stylistic judgment; readers should form their own impression through concentrated reading rather than applying labels in advance.

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About the author

全宋词 Author

Quan Song Ci (Complete Song Ci) is not a single ci poet but the compiler name used for the dynastic anthology of Song ci; this site lists 114 works under that author entry. Public information is limited, so no personal biography can be confirmed. The titles indicate edited collections of individual Song poets, including complete ci by major figures such as Xin Qiji and Li Qingzhao, as well as works by Chao Buzhi, Zhang Lei, Chen Shidao, Liu Kezhuang, Jiang Kui, and Liu Chenweng from various periods of the Song. These editions generally aim to preserve, collate, recover, and annotate the surviving ci, keeping the original character of the texts while making each poet's works accessible for reading and for research on themes, tonal patterns, and stylistic change. The series reflects the philological approach of dynastic compilations and serves as a bridge between popular access to classical texts and scholarly study of ci, and is commonly classified under ancient poetry.