Chu Ci

The Chu Ci, variously translated as Verses of Chu, Songs of Chu or Elegies of Chu, is an ancient anthology of Chinese poetry including works traditionally attributed mainly to Qu Yuan and Song Yu of the Warring States period, along with a large number of works composed during the Han dynasty several centuries later. The traditional version contains 17 major sections, anthologized in its current form by Wang Yi, a 2nd-century AD librarian who served under Emperor Shun of Han. Associated with what was then considered southern China, the Chu Ci is distinguished by its more emotionally intense character, often full of despair and descriptions of the fantastic, and some sections use a six-character-per-line meter divided into couplets by a strong caesura, producing a driving, dramatic rhythm. Classical Chinese poetry prior to the Qin dynasty is known largely through the Chu Ci and the Classic of Poetry, and both anthologies have remained influential throughout Chinese history.