The Mirror of Poetry

Name: The Mirror of Poetry
ISBN: 9787507556414

李易Sino-Culture Press · ChinaApr 2025

2.5

Word count: 83K words
Chapters: 18
ISBN: 9787507556414

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Summary

This book is a collection of appreciations of classical Chinese poetry by the poet Li Yi. Drawing on his own experience in poetic composition and employing a comparative-literature approach, the author offers comparative interpretations of the imagery and themes found in works by earlier poets. Organized around common themes in poetic composition (such as "longing for an absent one," "parting," "reunion," "love," "poems of gift and exchange," "lamenting the times," "meditation on the past," "the road of misfortune," and "inscriptions on paintings") and classic images (such as "rain" and "praising the moon"), the book provides an immersive reading of classical poems. It includes not only explication and appreciation of the works but also discussion of poetic forms, compositional techniques, and artistic value. Notably, the author sets his own compositions alongside classical works in a comparative appreciation he calls "mirror reflection."

Editor's review

Shijing (The Mirror of Poetry) is a work that bridges appreciation and the practice of composition. Li Yi is not content with word-by-word explication; instead, taking such common themes as "longing for an absent one," "parting," "reunion," "love," "poems of gift and exchange," "lamenting the times," "meditation on the past," "the road of misfortune," and "inscriptions on paintings," along with classic images such as "rain" and "praising the moon," as his threads, he reexamines classical poems within their concrete compositional contexts. The book on the one hand interprets the poetic forms, compositional techniques, and artistic value of earlier works, and on the other sets the author's own compositions alongside them in a classical-modern comparison, creating a "mirror reflection" reading structure that lets readers see both what the classics look like and how they are absorbed and answered by writers today. The comparative-literature method frees the interpretation from single-poem appreciation, giving it a vision of thematic continuity and cross-era dialogue. It suits readers who love classical poetry, have some preliminary grounding in appreciation, and are willing to try their hand at composition, and can also serve as a supplementary reader for poetry-writing courses. For readers seeking only a quick grasp of famous poems' general meaning, the book's interpretive path may seem overly detailed and composition-oriented, requiring some patience.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Lovers of classical poetry who wish to reread classic works systematically through themes and imagery
Those interested in writing old-style poetry who want to draw on the classical-modern comparison method to improve their craft
Chinese majors or students in poetry-appreciation courses who need a reference balancing appreciation and technique
Readers who enjoy a comparative-literature perspective and are willing to perceive differences among works through comparative reading

Not a good fit for

Readers who only want to skim vernacular translations of famous poems; explication is not the book's focus
General recreational readers uninterested in compositional technique who seek only narrative reading
Readers expecting a systematic history of poetry or a prosody manual; the book centers on thematic appreciation

Reading tips

Start by choosing familiar works from the table of contents, then return to read the thematic chapters straight through to grasp the overall thread
When reaching the author's comparative passages with his own compositions, try writing a line or two yourself before comparing
Keep a pen to mark imagery and technique as you read, then organize a personal imagery notebook by theme
Find the original poems of the classical works discussed and read them alongside the book rather than relying solely on secondhand interpretation

About the publisher

Sino-Culture Press China · Founded in 1987

Sino-Culture Press is known for publishing in history, social sciences and traditional Chinese culture, with a further reach into literary appreciation, classic works and foreign literature. Its library of 489 titles includes such works as The Road to Dongpo: The Evolution of Su Shi's Poetic Style, The Poetry and Life of Du Fu, The History of Qin and Han, and Six Hundred Years of the Forbidden City (collector's edition), while A Preliminary Survey of Ancient Architecture in Shanxi and Fen: Hand-drawn Records of Architectural Remains reflects an interest in documenting architectural heritage. Van Loon's Collected Classics and guided-reading editions of works such as Call to Arms and Notre-Dame de Paris serve general readers and classroom use. Its authors include scholars and popular writers such as Fu Junmai, Chen Linlin, Van Loon, Wang Longlin and Guan Ranrong, and biography is another direction. As public information is limited, this note focuses on the publishing profile shown by the titles in the library.

版权信息
序一
序二
自序
第一镜怀人韦应物《秋夜寄丘员外》｜李易《庚子除夕寄友》
第二镜离别李白《送友人》｜李易《沪上送别林兄》
第三镜重逢李益《喜见外弟又言别》｜李易《疫后重回武汉与诸友聚》
第四镜爱情 Ms Browning How Do I Love Thee｜秦观《鹊桥仙》｜李易《七夕》
第五镜雨水李商隐《雨》｜李易《雨》
第六镜谪仙杜甫《春日忆李白》｜李易《庚子腊月过当涂怀太白公》
第七镜酬赠刘禹锡《酬乐天扬州初逢席上见赠》｜李易《和初雪望冷山有怀》
第八镜咏月曹雪芹《咏月》｜李易《庚子中秋夜于京城》&《唐多令·中秋》
第九镜时事文天祥《过零丁洋》｜李易《晚舟归航》两首
第十镜诗画倪瓒《秋亭嘉树图轴》｜李易《圆寂》
第十一镜怀古辛弃疾《南乡子·登京口北固亭有怀》｜李易《沁园春·香山》
第十二镜悼亡杜甫《别房太尉墓》｜李易《悼袁隆平》
附录十二诗镜图
创作人员简介

FAQ

Can I understand this book without any grounding in poetic prosody?

You can understand most of the appreciation; the book explains poetic forms and compositional techniques accordingly. But if you are completely unfamiliar with basic concepts such as tonal patterns and parallelism, you may need to study those separately when reaching the prosody analysis. It is advisable to read the thematic appreciation chapters first and consult introductory works for prosody-related content.

What role do the author's own works play in the book?

The author sets his own compositions alongside classical works in a classical-modern comparative appreciation, forming what he calls "mirror reflection." These works are not a mere appendix but part of the interpretive chain, showing how the same theme or image is handled in different eras and helping readers understand how compositional technique is put into practice. Readers may treat them as comparative samples rather than models.

Is this book suitable as a textbook for poetry writing?

The book centers on appreciation while also touching on compositional technique and poetic forms; it can offer lessons for writing but is not a systematic prosody course or writing workbook. It suits use as a supplementary reader for writing courses alongside a dedicated textbook; if you expect step-by-step study of prosodic rules, you will need a separate primer.

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About the author

李易 Author

Li Yi is an author for whom publicly available information is currently limited; the name appears as the byline of a work in the field of literary appreciation. One work by this author is held in the collection, titled The Mirror of Poetry. Judging from the title and its classification, the book likely centers on the reading, appreciation, and analysis of poetry, placing it within the category of literary appreciation. Because verifiable biographical details about the author are insufficient, facts such as nationality, dates of birth and death, educational background, and writing career cannot be confirmed and are not inferred here. On the basis of the available clues, Li Yi's writing appears to focus on guiding readers into poetic texts and on helping them perceive the layers of language, imagery, and emotion. Books of this kind are usually intended for general readers and often serve as references for literary enthusiasts. Readers of The Mirror of Poetry may approach it as a close-reading attempt grounded in the text; further details about the author await additional public information.