Complete Ci Poems of Xie Yi

全宋词Jun 2024

3.0

Word count: 4.2K words
Chapters: 36

Summary

This collection is a subset of theComplete 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 paired as twin peaks, each representing the literature of a major historical era. According to statistics, more than 1,300 people of the Northern and Southern Song left ci works to posterity, with a total of nearly 20,000 poems! These figures alone suggest the scale of composition at the time. Song ci mainly falls into the "delicate and restrained" and "bold and unconstrained" styles, each exquisite in its own way, each at its peak, rich and varied.

Editor's review

This book extracts Xie Yi's ci from theComplete Song Ci and presents them as a standalone volume, making it convenient for readers to gain a focused understanding of this Song dynasty ci poet. Xie Yi's ci is known for its clarity and grace; he excelled at depicting emotions and scenery with delicate strokes and holds a place of his own in the Northern Song ci world. Lifting a individual collection out of a comprehensive anthology preserves the textual appearance of the original works while lowering the difficulty of searching for general readers; it is a practical selected volume for thematic reading of Song ci. Reading this book need not pursue cover-to-cover speed; it is better suited to casual browsing and repeated savoring, to feel the rhythm and charm between the lines. For readers who wish to expand their map of Song ci reading and are not satisfied with only famous masters and famous pieces, this small collection can bring a fresh reading experience and can also serve as supplementary material for classical literature classes.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who have already read Su Shi, Li Qingzhao, and other famous masters and want to expand to more Song ci poets
Literature lovers who enjoy delicate and lucid ci style and are willing to read the text closely
Chinese majors or teachers using it as supplementary reading for thematic teaching of Song ci
General readers with leisure for slow reading who enjoy classical charm

Not a good fit for

Beginner readers who need detailed annotations and line-by-line translation to understand the original text
Readers hoping to survey the entire development of Song ci in one volume
Readers who lack interest in classical poetry and prefer popular reading matter

Reading tips

Start with short, easy-to-understand ci to build confidence, then read longer works or those with more allusions.
Read aloud to feel the meter and rhythm of the ci; this makes it easier to grasp the emotion than silent reading.
After reading, try summarizing the situation of each ci in your own words to test your understanding.
Read interwoven with works by other Song ci poets, compare stylistic differences, and deepen impressions.

版权信息
蝶恋花
踏莎行
菩萨蛮
采桑子
西江月
南歌子
虞美人
谒金门
如梦令
青玉案
好事近
临江仙
减字木兰花
渔家傲
清平乐
蓦山溪
玉楼春
武陵春
浪淘沙
鹧鸪天
鹧鸪天
浣溪沙
燕归梁
千秋岁
南乡子
醉落魄
鹊桥仙
江神子
点绛唇
七娘子
卜算子
醉桃源
望江南
柳梢青
花心动

FAQ

What is Xie Yi's place in the history of Song ci?

Xie Yi was a Northern Song ci poet known for clear, delicate, and refined writing. He had a certain influence in the Song ci world but was not among the most widely known first-tier masters. One of this book's values lies precisely in exposing readers to distinctive poets beyond the famous masters.

Is this book suitable for classroom teaching?

It can be used as supplementary reading. The ci pieces are short, making them convenient for selected classroom explanation and discussion. Teachers can choose representative works to guide students in analyzing style and emotion, and it works better with annotated materials.

What tools should I prepare for reading this ci collection?

It is advisable to have a dictionary of commonly used ancient Chinese characters on hand to look up unfamiliar words promptly. For deeper understanding, refer to books of Song ci appreciation or related literary history materials to help grasp the historical background and stylistic features.

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

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.