Poems of the Mid-Autumn Festival cover

Poems of the Mid-Autumn Festival

Rating 3.8
Word count
42K words
Chapters
81
ISBN
9787532550661

Tags

Summary

In ancient times, the Mid-Autumn Festival was known as the 'Reunion Festival,' and its mooncakes as 'reunion cakes.' Since antiquity, 'the full moon on the fifteenth' has been regarded as the most auspicious sight. The bright, crystalline moon is not only praised by poets and artists—a clear breeze and bright moon, as the saying goes, cannot be bought with money—it belongs to all under heaven, to be shared and enjoyed by everyone. This volume selects over eighty of the finest poems on the Mid-Autumn Festival from across the ages, with thoughtful commentary by a new generation of young scholars—warm and stylish, moving and memorable. Reflecting the historical scenes and social life of the season from many angles, the poems carry distinct national character and rich local flavor, condensing within the cycle of the seasons the evolving pursuit of a better life across generations. Though often expressing personal sorrow and philosophical reflection on human affairs, the eighty poems ultimately rest on hopes for reunion, peace, and a beautiful world, fully conveying the festival's meaning of family and national reunion and the Chinese people's cherishing of the life before them.

Editor's review

*Mid-Autumn Poems*, carefully compiled by Shanghai Classics Publishing House, gathers classic poems on the Mid-Autumn Festival by writers from the Tang through the Qing dynasty. Although the editor is listed as "the publisher," the book is in fact the fruit of professional collation by the house's classical-texts team, reflecting its deep accumulation in classical literature. It includes familiar masterpieces such as Su Shi's "Prelude to Water Melody: When Will the Moon Be Bright?" and Zhang Jiuling's "Looking at the Moon and Longing for One Far Away," and also uncovers many less familiar yet profoundly evocative works, revealing the diverse faces of Mid-Autumn custom interwoven with literati feeling. From the vigorous openness of the High Tang to the philosophical wit of the Song and the delicate sentiment of the Ming and Qing, the editor's chronological arrangement lets readers perceive, while reading the poems, the evolution of the festival's cultural meaning. The annotations are concise, focused on clarifying meaning and identifying allusions, avoiding over-interpretation and leaving readers room to savor and imagine for themselves. For modern readers amid a restless, fast-paced life, quietly turning these elegant poems is not only literary nourishment but a deeper dialogue with the spirit of traditional festival culture, prompting us to reconsider the eternal questions of reunion, longing and time and space.

Who it's for

A good fit for

  • Readers with a strong interest in traditional Chinese festival culture and classical poetry
  • Those seeking seasonal reading to deepen their experience of the Mid-Autumn Festival
  • Primary and secondary school language teachers or students, as supplementary reading on traditional culture
  • Lovers of classical literature who wish to understand systematically the poetic tradition on the theme of the Mid-Autumn Festival

Not a good fit for

  • Readers looking for modern poetry or light, casual essays
  • Deep researchers seeking detailed academic textual criticism or long critical appreciations

Reading tips

  1. Read relevant pieces under the moon during the Mid-Autumn season to experience the ancients' scene of 'reciting poems to the moon'.
  2. There is no need to read straight through; skip selectively according to personal interest or by poet or dynasty.
  3. While reading, try reciting softly to feel the beauty of sound and rhythm in classical poetry.

About the publisher

Shanghai Classics Publishing House China · Founded in 1956

Shanghai Classics Publishing House is a professional publisher centered on the collation of ancient texts and academic research works. Its publishing areas cover historical readings, classical poetry, folk literature, literary appreciation, canonical works, and Eastern philosophy. Its books include Chen Yinke's A Brief Discussion of the Origins of the Sui and Tang Institutions, Xin Qiji's Chronological Annotated Edition of Jiaxuan's Ci (Simplified Edition), Tang Xianzu's The Peony Pavilion, Liu Xie's The Literary Mind and the Carving of Dragons, as well as New Annotations to Three Hundred Tang Poems (Collector's Edition), Annotated Edition of Han Changli's Collected Works (Simplified Edition, 3 volumes), and Youyang Zazu. Its authors include Chen Yinke, Xin Qiji, Tang Xianzu, Liu Xie, Deng Guangming, Hengtang Tuishi, Han Yu, and Ma Qichang. In terms of publishing characteristics, the house emphasizes collation, annotation, and compilation of ancient texts alongside academic research works, and continues to issue simplified and collector's editions that balance scholarship and accessibility. Public information about the publisher's fuller publishing profile is limited.

Contents

  1. 版权信息
  2. 前 言
  3. 中秋月二首(选一)
  4. 八月十五夜月诗
  5. 中秋夜望月寄杜郎中
  6. 和元郎中从八月十一至十五夜玩月五首(选一)
  7. 华阳观中八月十五日夜招友玩月[1]
  8. 八月十五日夜湓亭望月诗[1]
  9. 旅中秋月有怀
  10. 鹤林寺中秋夜玩月[1]
  11. 中 秋
  12. 中 秋
  13. 中秋旅舍书怀
  14. 送李秀才归荆溪
  15. 中 秋 月
  16. 中秋禁直
  17. 八月十五夜禁直寄同僚
  18. 八月十五夜
  19. 中秋夜泊武昌
  20. 倾 杯
  21. 中 秋 月
  22. 中秋夜不见月
  23. 中秋夜清思台独坐对月寄太傅曾鲁公宫师赵公
  24. 中秋夜吴江亭上对月怀前宰张子野及寄君谟蔡大[1]
  25. 清暑堂中秋夜饮
  26. 中秋夜试院寄子平
  27. 八月十五日宿平原寄跂蹈
  28. 中秋待月夜分乃见
  29. 八月十五日看潮五绝(选一)
  30. 水调歌头
  31. 中 秋 月
  32. 西 江 月
  33. 南 柯 子
  34. 鹧 鸪 天
  35. 中秋对月
  36. 中秋登楼望月
  37. 邮上祈雨[1]
  38. 水调歌头
  39. 壶中天慢
  40. 中秋无月
  41. 水调歌头
  42. 中秋无月既望月甚佳[1]
  43. 中秋对月
  44. 水调歌头
  45. 念 奴 娇
  46. 木兰花慢
  47. 太 常 引
  48. 八声甘州
  49. 唐 多 令[1]
  50. 酹 江 月
  51. 步 蟾 宫
  52. 西 江 月
  53. 木兰花慢
  54. 中秋不见月继窦先生韵
  55. 次韵陈无逸中秋月食风雨不见[1]
  56. 宗阳宫望月分韵得声字[1]
  57. 中秋碧云师送蟹[1]
  58. 中秋对月
  59. 中秋无月无酒
  60. 客舍中秋不见月
  61. 中秋独坐
  62. 中秋夜舟次延平对月有感
  63. 天竺中秋[1]
  64. 中秋踏灯词[1]
  65. 中秋龙舟词
  66. 木兰花慢
  67. 王安又中秋见怀索和
  68. 中秋对月
  69. 满 庭 芳
  70. 贺 新 郎
  71. 虎丘中秋夕(二首)[1]
  72. 中秋和米紫来韵
  73. 是夜角火罗对月呈掌院揆公时奉使朝鲜初还[1]
  74. 琵 琶 仙
  75. 月 饼
  76. 于湖竹枝词
  77. 忆 江 南
  78. 江乡节物词
  79. 神池竹枝词
  80. 文岛中秋夜有故乡苏村之苏熠来陪与话故乡事惘然写付寄乡人[1]
  81. 八月十五夜月

FAQ

What is the range of poems included?
The book mainly collects classic poems from the Tang to the Qing dynasty that take the Mid-Autumn Festival as their theme or were written at Mid-Autumn, covering representative works from various historical periods.
Does the book include vernacular translations or detailed appreciation?
The book mainly presents the original texts, with necessary annotations explaining difficult words and allusions, but provides no full vernacular translation or lengthy appreciation; the aim is to guide readers to savor the originals directly.
Is this book suitable as a gift?
Editions from Shanghai Classics Publishing House are usually elegantly bound with classic content; giving it to relatives or friends who love traditional culture at Mid-Autumn is a gift that combines thoughtfulness with cultural taste.

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About the author

本社 Author

Benshe is a collective署名 author, and publicly available information about it is limited; no clear record of its identity or individual history has been found. Judging from the fourteen works in the collection, its editorial scope is quite broad: it includes technical materials for engineering practice, such as the Consolidated Compilation of Construction and Acceptance Specifications for Electrical Installations and the companion volume of clause explanations, as well as selections of classical poetry such as Dragon Boat Festival Poems and Mid-Autumn Festival Poems, and historical and festival-custom readers such as Speaking of Qingming and Pain and Dreams Around 1898: The Li-Li Talks During the Treaty of Shimonoseki. It also covers culinary titles such as 800 Irresistible Hunan Dishes and travel books such as Journey of Dreams: Finding the Most Romantic Places. Overall, Benshe appears to be an editorial body responsible for compilation and anthology work; its books emphasize practicality and popular knowledge, are plainly written, and serve readers with different needs, from engineering construction to traditional culture and daily life.