A Hundred and Seventy Chinese Poems

In Short

This volume brings together new English renderings of early and classical Chinese verse, selected to offer clean, direct alternatives to earlier Victorian translations. Spanning ancient battle chants, Han dynasty ballads, Taoist meditations, and an extensive biographical sequence dedicated to the ninth-century poet Po Chü-i, the collection traces the quiet rhythm of daily life in historic China. Rather than leaning on complex metaphors, the writers focus on immediate realities: distant wars, abandoned homes, bureaucracy, and enduring friendships. It remains a classic because it introduced Western readers to Chinese poetry through accessible, plain-spoken rhythms that privilege emotional truth over ornate rhyme.

The Story

The book opens by clearing away technical and historical misconceptions about Chinese literature. In introductory essays, the editor explains that early Chinese verse relies on stark restraint, avoiding the extravagant similes and heavy decorative adjectives common in Western classical traditions. The anthology then moves chronologically through the centuries, beginning with early Han songs, anonymous folk ballads, and pre-T’ang dynasties. These early works depict raw, fundamental human experiences: soldiers falling on wide moor-fields with swords still clutched in hand, aged veterans returning after decades of service to find their homesteads overrun by weeds, and isolated women mourning distant husbands or lamenting the low status accorded to daughters.

As the historical timeline progresses through the third and fourth centuries, the poems reflect a period of political turmoil and social decay. Figures like T’ao Ch’ien turn their backs on government positions and municipal corruption to embrace Taoist quietude, finding solace in simple rural tasks, local neighbors, and garden chrysanthemums. Royal courts produce light, ornamental verses on moonlight and spring, yet underlying these polished scenes is a constant awareness of precariousness, sudden imperial banishments, and short-lived youth.

The second half shifts focus entirely to the Tang dynasty poet Po Chü-i, presenting a broad sequence of his reflective, narrative, and satirical works. Through these chronologically ordered pieces, a complete life unfolds. Po Chü-i writes of his early civil service career in the capital of Ch’ang-an, his deep intellectual bond with his friend Yüan Chēn, and the harsh taxation that drives rural peasants to despair. When political shifts lead to his sudden exile in Hsün-yang, the tone turns reflective. He writes of climbing solitary mountain paths, singing wildly to the valley trees, and buying wild geese from city markets to set them free.

In his later years, appointed to govern distant provinces like Hangchow, the poet’s gaze narrows to intimate domestic details. He sends small gifts to family members left behind, grieves for old friends whose tombs are now swept by autumn winds, and accepts his own physical decline. The book ends with the poet growing frail, resting beside his screen while watching his grandchildren read aloud and his servants warm his soup.

How It Unfolds

The early songs of war and exile Anonymous ancient ballads depict the grim reality of military conscription and political separation. Warriors die on distant battlefields while returning veterans find their ancestral homes completely deserted.

The shift toward nature and withdrawal Faced with political chaos and bureaucratic corruption, scholars turn to Taoist philosophy, shedding public ambitions. They seek solitude in modest huts, passing days reading, drinking wine, and farming without court obligations.

Court life and delicate elegies Verses from imperial dynasties capture the fleeting pleasures of city roads, stringed music, and bright banquets. Yet beneath the court elegance, wives mourn lost favor and forgotten lovers exchange letters in secret.

The life and satires of Po Chü-i The focus narrows to a single mid-Tang dynasty poet documenting both state injustices and personal ties. He criticizes corrupt officials and tax gatherers while celebrating deep, long-standing friendships built over shared wine and quiet conversations.

Late years and peaceful resignation The collection concludes with quiet scenes of old age, illness, and domestic routine. The elderly poet adjusts to physical weakness, writes verses for friends, and finds quiet contentment in his household.

The People

• Ch’ü Yüan: An ancient state official and poet who, unable to guide his prince toward righteous action, drowns himself in the Mi-lo River. His tragic end is commemorated in early martial lamentations.
• Ch’in Chia: A dedicated scholar-official of the first century who is summoned to the capital while his wife lies sick at her parents' home. Forced to leave without saying goodbye, he sends her loving poems and gifts, tormented by his inability to offer more.
• Ch’in Chia’s Wife: An invalid woman who responds to her husband’s departure with deep grief, longing for a bird's wings so she can follow his carriage down the long road.
• T’ao Ch’ien: A influential fourth-century recluse who abandons official state posts to cultivate vegetables in his garden. He rejects book-learning in favor of Taoist harmony, finding peaceful satisfaction in chrysanthemums, simple food, and local company.
• Po Chü-i: The central figure of the collection's second half, a widely read Tang dynasty official and poet. He balances public duty with personal integrity, writing sharp satires against government cruelty alongside tender poems to his children, friends, and grandchildren.
• Yüan Chēn: A close friend and fellow poet of Po Chü-i, whose lifelong intellectual bond with Po forms the emotional core of Po's middle years.

In Its Own Voice

"At fifteen I went with the army, / At fourscore I came home."

An anonymous ancient soldier describes the tragic brevity of youth lost to endless border wars.

"A heart that is distant creates a wilderness round it."

T’ao Ch’ien explains how a mind detached from public ambition can find absolute stillness even when living near others.

"I listen to my grandchildren, reading me a book; / I watch the servants, heating up my soup."

Po Chü-i describes the calm, modest domestic routine of his final days.

What It's Really About

The volume explores the tension between public obligation and personal freedom. Throughout Chinese history, educated men were expected to serve the state, yet this service frequently brought exile, corruption, and moral compromise. Taoism offered an alternative—a retreat into the natural world and the quiet cultivation of the self. The book also examines the passage of time, the grief of separation, and the vulnerability of ordinary lives. Whether depicting a girl whose birth brings no joy to her family, a dwarf forced into servitude, or a friend remembered only by a remaining gauze hat, these poems capture human dignity enduring within an unfeeling political system.

Why Read It Today

This anthology remains remarkably approachable because it strips away ornate poetic diction in favor of direct, unpretentious speech. Readers used to western poetic traditions will find its absolute clarity refreshing; there are no dense, layered metaphors to untangle, only stark visual images that deliver immediate emotional impact.

The work does present specific challenges. The reader must navigate unfamiliar place names, ancient dynastic titles, and subtle historical contexts explained in brief introductory notes. Furthermore, the poems directly reflect traditional period attitudes, including the marginalization of women, the harsh realities of ancient warfare, and rigid social hierarchies.

Yet what stays with you long after reading is the extraordinary modern feel of these ancient voices. The feeling of missing a friend, watching a child grow up, or regretting wasted time feels entirely familiar across thousands of years. It is an ideal read for anyone seeking quiet reflection, historic insight, and verse that values plain speaking over dramatic flourish.

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