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Poems of Wang Wei

by Wang Wei

Other authors: G. W. Robinson (Translator)

Other authors: See the other authors section.

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1424190,732 (3.94)3
Strikingly contemporary-feeling poems about Buddhism and luxury from Wang Wei, one of the greatest poets in Chinese literature Wang Wei, one of Chinese literature's greatest poets, divided his time between the court and his country estate, where he drew inspiration from the mountains and solitude. His poetry affirms his belief in a whole natural order, and his delicately observed descriptions of landscapes are infused throughout with a sense of unity and Buddhist devotion. Yet it also bears testament to the tension Wang Wei experienced in his own life between that unity and life's various pleasures, as he experienced in the court.Translated with an introduction by G. W. Robinson.… (more)
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Showing 4 of 4
Lovely collection of poems from a time that Britain calls the dark ages because so few written records survived from the other end of Eurasia. Wang Wei was particularly good at capturing small details of scenes - the way a canoe's paddle moves through the water, or subtle changes in a town with the seasons - but he must also have taken great joy in people because another rich seam in this collection is poems of farewell, greeting, and missing people in between. ( )
  eldang | Sep 18, 2019 |
Lovely collection of poems from a time that Britain calls the dark ages because so few written records survived from the other end of Eurasia. Wang Wei was particularly good at capturing small details of scenes - the way a canoe's paddle moves through the water, or subtle changes in a town with the seasons - but he must also have taken great joy in people because another rich seam in this collection is poems of farewell, greeting, and missing people in between. ( )
  eldang | Sep 18, 2019 |
I usually do not read poetry in translation, unless (a)it's a narrative poem or (b)it's translated by a poet who has essentially recreated the poem, rather than faithfully translating word by word. In my opinion, poetry owes its beauty to the cadence of the language, a kind of rhythmic beat as the words trip over one another, which is well nigh impossible to achieve in translation. However, I bought this book against my better judgement because it was going dirt cheap at a garage sale, and I felt the need to expand my reading horizon to ancient China.

Well, I should have listened to my judgement, as the poems fell flat with me. Wang Wei seems to be a nature poet, and all his poems are full of descriptions of the landscape. No doubt they would be beautiful in the original Chinese, but in English they seemed repetitive and uninteresting.

My review is not a judgement on the book, author or translator: it is just my reading experience based on my personal preferences.

I am not rating the book, as I do not feel qualified to do so.
  Nandakishore_Varma | Sep 28, 2013 |
With most simple words
the poet reaches upwards
to seize a bright star. ( )
  Fledgist | Nov 22, 2007 |
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Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Wang WeiAuthorprimary authorall editionsconfirmed
Robinson, G. W.Translatorsecondary authorall editionsconfirmed
Zhao MengfuCover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed

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Strikingly contemporary-feeling poems about Buddhism and luxury from Wang Wei, one of the greatest poets in Chinese literature Wang Wei, one of Chinese literature's greatest poets, divided his time between the court and his country estate, where he drew inspiration from the mountains and solitude. His poetry affirms his belief in a whole natural order, and his delicately observed descriptions of landscapes are infused throughout with a sense of unity and Buddhist devotion. Yet it also bears testament to the tension Wang Wei experienced in his own life between that unity and life's various pleasures, as he experienced in the court.Translated with an introduction by G. W. Robinson.

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