CHUCI

Petra Hadžidaova
Jun 8
4 min read

(1)

Ancient China was one of the world's oldest continuous civilizations, spanning thousands of years. Great discoveries and innovations are attributed to it, from gunpowder, paper, compass. In the field of poetry, they also left a mark. From Shijing, we will shift our gaze toward another anthology, Chici.

WHAT IS CHUCI?

The Chu Ci, variously translated as Verses of Chu, Songs of Chu, Poetry of the South, or Elegies of Chu, is an ancient anthology of Chinese poetry from the Warring States period. It is also a sort of poem that found its origin in the works of Qu Yuan, a high minister in the state of Chu. (2, 3)

WHERE IT GOT ITS NAME

The Chu Ci was named after a form of poetry that originated in the State of Chu, which was located in what is now central China. Back then, it was in the southern fringe of the Chinese cultural area. The culture in the State of Chu was a blend of the culture from the north and the south, the latter bringing forth many shamanistic themes and poems of spiritual journeys. (2)

AUTHORSHIP

Chuci was authored by many great names, yet Qu Yuan is considered its central figure. He is the author of the opening Li Sao section and is considered the persona of the protagonist. (2)

It is not fully clear how the collection came to be and who edited it. It is presumed that during the reign of Emperor Cheng of Han, Liu Xiang arranged and compiled the poems of Qu Yuan and Song Yu, as well as those of Han poets including Wang Bao, Jia Yi, Yan Ji, and his own. (2)

The anthology consists of 17 major sections, anthologized with its current contents by Wang Yi, a 2nd-century AD librarian who served under Emperor Shun of Han. It includes works mainly attributed to Qu Yuan and Song Yu. The book begins with the opening poem Li Sao. Li Sao is of a political background, yet does contain some mythological and religious aspects. The second section, called Jiu Ge, translates as Nine Songs, consists of eleven distinct parts. They represent shamanistic dramatic practices of the Yangzi River valley area involving the invocation of divine beings and seeking their blessings. (2)

The Tian Wen also known as Questions to Heaven, consists of 172 questions, all in in verse format, concerning Chinese mythology and ancient Chinese religious beliefs. A very small number also include answers in the form of hints. (2)

Jiu Zhang, translated as “Nine pieces”, consists of nine pieces of poetry, among which is also "Lament for Ying" ("Ai Ying").

The anthology also includes:

"Far-off Journey" ("Yuan You") (遠遊),
"Divination" "Bu Ju" (卜居),
"The Fisherman" "Yu Fu" (漁父),
"Nine Changes" (九辯),
"Summons of the Soul" "(Zhao Hun)" (招魂),
"The Great Summons" (大招),
"Sorrow for Troth Betrayed" (惜誓),
"Summons for a Recluse" (招隱士),
"Seven Remonstrances" (七諫),
"Alas That My Lot Was Not Cast" (哀時命),
"Nine Regrets", consisting of nine sections (九懷),
"Nine Laments" (九歎),
"Nine Longings".

POETIC QUALITIES

Chu ci includes varying metrics, varying use of exclamatory particles, and the varying presence of the luan (envoi). Some poems are written in the classical Shijing four-syllable line of equally stressed syllables: tum, tum, tum, tum. Occasionally, the pattern is broken with the use of a pronoun or nonce word in the fourth syllable, making it unstressed. The sequence ends up being: tum tum tum ti. (2)

Heavenly Questions (Tian wen), Summons of the Soul (Zhao hun), and The Great Summons (Da Zhao) all have metrical characteristics typical of the Shijing. Usually, the lines are grouped into rhymed quatrains:

tum tum tum tum

In the mentioned sections, the variant song style verse was the norm. This style uses seven stressed (or accented) syllables followed by an unstressed (or weakly accented) final syllable on alternate (even) lines. The sequence is as follows:

tum tum tum tum

tum tum tum ti

tum tum tum tum

tum tum tum ti (2)

Within the individual songs or poems of the "Nine Pieces", lines generally consist of various numbers of syllables, separated by the nonce word. (2)

In some verses, the sao style predominates. It is based on the imitation of the "Li Sao" and features long line lengths optimized for poetic oral recitation, with a concluding luan (or, envoi). (2)

THEMES

The Chuci style of poetry has shamanistic and political implications. The poems express the religious practices of the Chu people. In some poems, we can also find information on mythological beings and certain myths. Some of the more renowned poems refer to the escape from human misery by means of an ecstatic celestial journey. (2, 4)

CONCLUSION

Chuci, translated as Verses of Chu, Songs of Chu, Poetry of the South, or Elegies of Chu, is an ancient anthology of Chinese poetry from the Warring States period. It is also a sort of poem that found its origin in the works of Qu Yuan and originated in the State of Chu.