Nicholas Morrow Williams is Associate Professor in the School of Chinese of the University of Hong Kong and editor of Tang Studies. He studies and translates classical Chinese poetry both for its own sake and in the contexts of comparative literature, Buddhist studies, Sino-Japanese cultural interactions, translation studies, intellectual history, and other fields. His research increasingly concerns the role of Buddhism in the development of Chinese literature and culture.

• Introduction


• A Note on the Translation


• Select Bibliography


• Timeline


• 1: Sublimating Sorrow (Li sao)


• 2: Nine Phases


• 3: Nine Songs


• 4: Heavenly Questions


• 5: Nine Avowals


• 6: Far Roaming


• 7: Divination


• 8: Fisherman


• 9: Summons to the Recluse


• 10: Summons to the Soul


• 11: Nine Longings


• 12: Seven Remonstrances


• 13: Nine Threnodies


• 14: Lamenting Time's Fate


• 15: Rueful Oath


• 16: Greater Summons


• 17: Nine Yearnings


• Explanatory Notes


• Index

This anthology, Elegies of Chu, will provide readers with an understanding of Chinese literature, examining its evolution from free-spirited, mythico-religious songs to the more formal, polished style of the Han court.