Stone Lake Ci Poems

范成大Jun 2024

4.3

Word count: 8.4K words
Chapters: 5

Summary

Spring is born in the cold valley; the scent of burning leaves, a jade flute sounding through the vale. After the new sun, one foretells the new year, auspicious clouds clear and solemn. Do not confine the heart to medicine wraps, but at each season add a scroll of poems. Smiling with forced cheer—are the sights and scenes not foolish? Yet in the end, not vulgar.

Editor's review

Shihu Ci is a collection of ci poems by the Southern Song poet Fan Chengda. Fan Chengda is renowned for his pastoral poetry, and his ci poems likewise form a style of their own, mostly writing of seasonal scenes and the mood of quiet retirement, with lucid, spare language and warm, gentle sentiment. This edition presents the collection in the traditional ci-poetry format, preserving the original appearance of the book, suited to careful savoring in a quiet reading setting. Readers may see in it the emotional fluctuations and aesthetic tastes of a Southern Song scholar-official amid the turning of solar terms and daily life, and experience how poetry and ci can settle body and mind and record life. The ci poems in the book are short in length with clear imagery, containing both seasonal reflections and quiet observation of nature and daily life; it is suitable as an advanced reader after an introduction to classical poetry, and also as reference for readers studying Song dynasty ci poetics and scholar-official life. When reading, one may combine Fan Chengda's life and the social background of the Southern Song to understand the self-possession of “yet in the end, not vulgar” and the delight in scenes in his ci.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Classical literature readers who love Song ci and wish to expand into Fan Chengda's ci poems
Traditional culture enthusiasts interested in seasonal scenes and the daily life of scholar-officials
Primary and secondary school teachers needing short poems and ci for recitation or teaching
Literature and history students researching Southern Song ci poetics and Fan Chengda's work

Not a good fit for

Beginner readers expecting modern vernacular annotation and detailed appreciation
General readers who prefer long narrative or novel-style reading
Academic researchers needing systematic textbooks on ci poetics

Reading tips

First read through once, marking lines related to solar terms and scenes to sense the characteristics of his seasonal writing.
Combine Fan Chengda's life and Southern Song historical background to understand the mood of quiet retirement and self-possession in the ci.
Select short ci poems and recite one each day, focusing on experiencing rhythm and imagery.
Read alongside Fan Chengda's pastoral poetry to compare similarities and differences in subject matter and sentiment between his poetry and ci.

版权信息
石湖词
一
二
三

FAQ

What does Shihu Ci mainly write about?

Shihu Ci mostly writes of seasonal scenes, the mood of quiet retirement, and daily reflections, in lucid, warm language and clear imagery, embodying Fan Chengda's creative profile in the ci form beyond poetry; it is suited to quiet reading and savoring.

Can I read this book without a foundation in Song ci?

You can read it, but the book preserves the original appearance with relatively little annotation and appreciation. If you lack a foundation in Song ci, it is advisable first to learn the ci tunes and basic prosody, or to read it alongside an annotated anthology for smoother understanding.

Is this book suitable for poetry recitation?

Yes. The ci poems are short in length with lively rhythm and clear imagery, suitable for selecting one each day for recitation; one can both experience the beauty of sound and rhythm and feel the sentiment of seasonal and scenic writing.

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About the author

范成大 Author

Fan Chengda was a man of letters of the Southern Song dynasty. Details of his life and official career are limited in publicly available sources, but his surviving works stand out for their number and variety, with eleven titles held in this collection. His writing spans several fields: the local gazetteer Wujun Zhi traces the history and customs of one region, while Guihai Yuheng Zhi records the landscapes, products, and folkways of Lingnan. The travel notes Wuchuan Lu and Canluan Lu follow his actual journeys and combine scenery with antiquarian inquiry; Fancun Meipu is devoted to varieties of plum, revealing his interest in natural history; and Shihu Ci and the Shihu poems in Songshi Chao show his accomplishments in poetry and song. His language is clear and fluent, his observation careful, and his works combine historical value with literary interest. They are often grouped among classical poetry, classic works, and historical reading, and will appeal to readers interested in Song-era local life and literati writing.