An assortment of poems from the T'ang dynasty, including verse from Tu Fu and Li Ho, two of the most celebrated poets in Chinese history. These translations are among the most beautiful and deeply-felt translations from Chinese that I've ever read, and this slender volume makes a superb introduction or digression into one of the great golden ages of literature the world has known. Very highly recommended.

Unfortunately the author ends with the weaker poets, in my estimation, or perhaps they are excellent in the Chinese but not really accessible in translation. Of course, this is very subjective, and for others this might be a very appropriate or exciting way to end this volume. For me it was a bit of a let down.

This selection from the work of some of the greatest Chinese poets both helped introduce me to this grand tradition and gave me a set of general principals for poetry translations. It certainly helped the development of my own style and voice, and underlined the importance of community to the art and well-being of the individual poet.

And did i mention the quality of these poems? David Young, the translator, has done a remarkable job with his material.

What a relief! I'm glad to see I've been wrong. Poems are enjoyable and these written by Tu Fu turned out my favourite. I may not be interested much in descriptions of nature's beauty, but I appreciate translator's effort.

Still, I will never be able to get rid of the image of Li Bai as a drunken master, who during a serious hangover, grabs a pen and write a masterpiece to the chagrin of people present. As well the funny, apocryphal story of his nearly drowning because in a drunken stupor he tried to embrace the Moon. Bohemian man in every way.

stunning. a savior of a book.

Beautiful, evocative poetry. Love the paper quality and the font used.

These lyrical poems from the Tang Dynasty in China still resonate today. My favorites are the landscape poems by Wang Wei, a painter-poet.

It was a good read in between other books & a enjoyed a lot of the poems.

As has been well-established, I don't review poetry, I just tell you to read it.
You should read this, Young's translations, which he explains in a nice introduction, come across as healthy and hale and redolent of the original sense. If you're into this, you'll know the poets featured here quite well, but with a lesser-regaled addition (Li Shang-Yin).

I love the poem by Li Po "Conversation among mountains", and have read it by at least 4 other renowned translators, but this is my favorite!!! Clear, unadorned, unembellished, and so it is refreshingly spiritual. Can't wait to read more.

David Young is an excellent translator. What I enjoyed most about this collection of poetry was Young's cursory introduction to translation as an art form. He proves that much of translation, especially when translating Chinese into English, requires great thought and expertise on the cultural dimensions of certain historical periods. Each of the five poets was at the forefront of major social and cultural change, influenced to practice Confucian ideals when securing public service positions and by maintaining loyalty to the hierarchical latticework that defined classical Chinese society.

Young shows the reader how literal translations of Chinese writing produce mere fragments of a poet's thoughts and sensibilities. The translator thus carries a heavy burden when choosing the appropriate words to embody the original emotion, depth, and meaning of Chinese poems. Young explains that juxtaposition is a mainstay of classical Chinese poetry, so it is crucial to prevent the loss of such a literary technique when practicing translation. The result is a wonderful collection of poems that stirs the reader in various ways. From the maudlin drunkenness of Li Po to the more elaborate and esoteric poems of Li Shang-Yin, the words Young chooses undeniably reflect the singular perspectives of some brilliant minds.

I highly recommend this book to anyone new to Chinese poetry. It is digestible and the author includes short biographies of the poets. He also includes reading materials for those interested in further studying them. This is a collection I will revisit when my understanding of Chinese improves. For a window into the T'ang dynasty and Chinese culture, this book is helpful. For those interested in beautiful Chinese poetry translated by a respectable scholar, this book is essential.

I should preface my review by admitting I'm not at all familiar with other translations of these poets. That being said, in general, I found myself in-want reading through Young's translations of these Chinese poets. Ancient Chinese poetry is rather new to me, and for that reason, I really appreciated Young's pretty in-depth introduction to each poet, and to the collection as a whole. Admittedly a very difficult feat, often the translations felt lacking, bent toward a more contemporary diction (several word choices throughout the book struck me as wholly odd). As he admitted, I thought the author took liberties, and it was obvious to me and, in places, displeasing. I'm not sure this genre of poetry appeals to my sensibilities, at no fault to Young, but this book did stir up an interest up delve into other translations of these poets and to study a little more extensively the syntax and structure of Chinese poetry (like the jueju).