The Selected Poems of T'ao Ch'ien [Paperback]

Tao Chien (Author), David Hinton (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2000

Chinese, tr David Hinton

Editorial Reviews

Review

9/9, Chi Year Of The Rooster
9th Month, Keng Year Of The Dog, Early Rice Harvested
After An Ancient Poem
After Kuo Chu-pu's Poems
After Liu Ch'ai-sang's Poem
Back Home Again Chant
Begging Food
Burial Songs
Cha Festival Day
Drinking Wine: 1
Drinking Wine: 2
Drinking Wine: 3
Drinking Wine: 4
Drinking Wine: 5
Drinking Wine: 6
Drinking Wine: 7
Drinking Wine: 7
Early Spring, Kuei Year Of The Hare, Thinking
Elegy For Myself
Form, Shadow, Spirit: 1. Form Addresses Shadow
Form, Shadow, Spirit: 2. Shadow Replies
Form, Shadow, Spirit: 3. Spirit Answers
Great Men Want The Four Seas. I've Only
Home Again Among Gardens And Fields
An Idle 9/9 At Home
In Reply To Liu Ch'ai-sang
In The 6th Month, Wu Year Of The Horse, Fire Broke Out
Peach-blossom Spring
Reading He Classic Of Mountains And Seas
Returning To My Old Home
Scolding My Sons
Seeing Guests Off At Governor Wang's
Steady Rain, Drinking Alone
Thinking Of Impoverished Ancients
Together, We All Go Out Under The Cypress Trees In The Chou
Turning Seasons
Untitled
Untitled
Wandering At Hsieh Creek
We've Moved
Wine Stop
Written In The 12th Month, Kuei Year Of The Hare
Written On Passing Through Ch'u-o, Newly Appointed
Written One Morning In The 5th Month After Tai Chu-pu's Poem
-- Table of Poems from Poem Finder®

Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Copper Canyon Press (May 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1556590563
• ISBN-13: 978-1556590566
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.6 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #869,827 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

48 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars one of China great poets, a great american translator, July 8, 2000

By 

J.P.Seaton (Pittsboro, NC USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Selected Poems of T'ao Ch'ien (Paperback)

I teach Chinese literature in translation, and a few other things, at the University of North Carolina, and I've used this in class since it came into print. Students who have slept thru earlier Chinese literature snap awake to these. I have called T'ao Ch'ien the first modern poet( in the world). Hinton, one our best translators, makes a good case for my assertion. Since you're here you might note how many of the top new translations from Chinese come from the same publisher... Copper Canyon.

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The poet of the earth-centered life of inner peace, September 29, 2006

By 

OAKSHAMAN "oakshaman" (Algoma, WI United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Selected Poems of T'ao Ch'ien (Paperback)

This poet is an inspiration for me. T'ao Ch'ien came from a respectable, connected family. He received a good education in the classics. He entered government service as he was expected- to serve his emperor, his country, his family. He even served on the staffs of two generals. He had it made.

Then one day he simply walked out on it all. He walked deep into the countryside and became a recluse and a farmer. He did this because he couldn't stand to serve overbearing and arrogant superiors. But mostly, he couldn't stand being distracted from a life of inner peace centered around the flow of nature. It also cut down on his drinking time.

T-ao Ch'ien didn't retire to become a gentleman farmer. He howed his own crops- and the rice jar was often empty. He seemed to have lived a life close to Thoreau's ideal, except that he kept it up for over 40 years until his death- a death that he did not fear.

Don't think that this was an idyllic period in Chinese history. The empire had been driven from the north. Rebellion raged in both the east and west. The empire was disintegrating. The poet talks about how few neighbors he had because the countryside was depopulated. Yet, nowhere will you find poetry that speaks more truthfully about the quiet, harmonious life lived close to the earth. There is no striving here. T'ao Ch'ien had already reached enlightenment before he ever put pen to paper. For a poet that never actually mentions the great Tao, it is obvious that his every moment was spent in its embrace.

The poet makes it clear that he doubts the existance of heaven and of the immortals. He would live his life no differently if they did; he would regard inevitable death no differently. One can not but hope that he was in error here, for if any being deserved a place at the table of the immortals it was T'ao Ch'ien- with an ever flowing wine jar.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars sincerity in action, February 7, 2007

By 

Erik C. Pihl "Readerman" (Sacramento, Ca.) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Selected Poems of T'ao Ch'ien (Paperback)

The translations of T'ao Ch'ien's poetry by David Hinton represents a level of excellence not often achieved when translating non-comensurate languages. The English reads almost as if the poems had been written in that language and is a joy to read and re-read. Anyone interested in Asian poetry in general, and Chinese poetry in particular, should own a copy.