Chinese Erotic Poems
The ancient Chinese tradition of erotic poetry has been largely ignored in the west. Now, a vast continent of sensual verse is opened to us with this glorious collection spanning nearly three thousand years and including many poems never before translated into English. \ Tony Barnstone and Chou Ping have brought together poems about deep love and pure lust, enticement and seduction, ecstasy and disappointment. Here are poems that express need, hunger, grief, and longing—for husbands and wives...
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The ancient Chinese tradition of erotic poetry has been largely ignored in the west. Now, a vast continent of sensual verse is opened to us with this glorious collection spanning nearly three thousand years and including many poems never before translated into English. Tony Barnstone and Chou Ping have brought together poems about deep love and pure lust, enticement and seduction, ecstasy and disappointment. Here are poems that express need, hunger, grief, and longing—for husbands and wives and for concubines and lovers; poems by turns explicit or subtle, light-hearted or desperate, written from both men’s and women’s points of view. The editors have drawn on a wide range of sources from 600 BCE to the present, including highly literary poems, popular verse, and folk songs, as well as poems that appeared in ancient Daoist sex manuals, in classical novels of the Ming Dynasty, and in collections of erotic prints. The result is a dazzling array of voices that speak the universal language of desire.For the first time, all the major works of this beloved writer are gathered together in one hardcover volume.
ForewordThe Book of Songs (c. 600 BCE)In the Wilds is a Dead River-Deer Portrait of a Bride The Riverbank Grasshoppers and Baby Locusts Zhen and Wei Rivers Stripping Off Clothes White Moonrise There are Tall Weeds in the Fields Fruit Plummets from the Plum Tree I Beg You, Zhongzi Sima Xiangru (179–117 BCE)The Prose-Poem of the Beautiful Person Zhang Heng (78–139 CE)From T’ung-sheng-ko AnonymousFrom Nineteen Ancient Poems (Han Dynasty)Zi Ye (3rd–4th Centuries CE)From 42 Songs: The Cheating Lover From 42 Songs: Night is Forever From 42 Songs: Her Shyness From 42 Songs: The Untied Skirt From 42 Songs: UndressingFrom 42 Songs: Street Encounter From 42 Songs: Tangled Hair From 20 Spring Songs: Spring Wind From 20 Summer Songs: Lotus Flower Girl From 20 Summer Songs: After Lovemaking From 20 Summer Songs: Flaming Love From 20 Summer Songs: Melons and Plum From 20 Summer Songs: Sleeping with One Pillow From 18 Autumn Songs: The Lovers From 17 Winter Songs: Lust for the Summer Lover Late Autumn Sleeves Lifted A Charcoal Stove Two Love SongsAnonymous (Six Dynasties)My Lover Will Soon be Here This Morning Our Boat Left Shen Yue (441–513)From Six Reminiscences To a Friend I Met Early One Morning While She Was in Her Carriage For My Neighbor Who Was Waiting for Someone Who Didn’t Come Emperor Wu of Liang (464–549)The Morning Sun Shines Emperor Jianwen of Liang (503–551)A Beautiful Woman Emperor Hou Zhu of Chen (553–604)A Jade Tree Blossoms in the Back GardenZhang Wencheng (c. 657–730)From The Dwelling of Playful Goddesses—A Poem About His Knife —A Poem About Her Sheath —A Poem About a Broken Copper Flat-Iron—A Poem About Writing Brushes and Inkstones 57—Her Poem About a Bow—His Reply About the Bow Zhao Luanluan (8th Century)Cloudlike Hair Slender Fingers Creamy Breasts The Sandalwood MouthXie Wen (Tang Dynasty)To Lady Zheng Wang Wei (701–761)A Young Lady’s Spring Thoughts For Someone Far AwayLi Bai (701–762)Confessional Sent Far Off Singing by Green Water in Autumn An Encounter in the Field Si Kongshu (740–790?)I Fall Ill and Have to Marry Off My Singing Girl Meng Jiao (751–814)Departure in Ancient Times Xue Tao (768–831)Spring Gazing Bai Juyi (772–846)From Song of Everlasting Sorrow Song of Collecting Lotus SeedsBai Xingjian (776–826)The Wedding Night (from the “Rhyme-Prose on the Supreme Joy of Sexual Union of Yin and Yang, Heaven and Earth”) Yuan Zhen (779–831)The Poem of Xuizhen Late Autumn White Dress Reminiscences (5 Poems) Missing Her After Separation (Poem Two) Spring DawnHan Shan (c. Late 8th–Early 9th Centuries)Behind Pearl Curtains Full of Girls Woman in Her Prime A Flock of Beauties Du Mu (803–852)Given in Parting (Two Poems)Sharing My Feelings Xue Feng (c. 806–876)In the PalaceWen Tingyun (812–870)To the Tune of “Beautiful Barbarian”Du Qiuniang (Early 9th Century)The Coat of Gold Brocade Li Shangyin (813–858)Secret of the Inner Chamber From The Jade City Sequence Untitled Han Wo (844–923)Meeting Her by Accident Wei Zhuang (c. 836–910)To the Tune of “Silk-Washing Brook” To the Tune of “The River City”To the Tune of “A Lotus Leaf Cup”Yu Xuanji (c. 843–868)A Farewell Selling Ruined Peonies Playing Polo Autumn Complaints Sent to a Neighboring Woman Letter to a Friend Ouyang Jiong (896–971)To the Tune of “Washing Gauze in a Stream”Li Yu (936–978)To the Tune of “A Bushel of Pearls”To the Tune of “Bodhisattva Barbarian”To the Tune of “Bodhisattva Barbarian”To the Tune of “Bodhisattva Barbarian” Anonymous Female Poet (Song Dynasty)Drunk ManSun Daoxuan (Song Dynasty)To the Tune of “As in a Dream”Liu Yong (987–1053)To the Tune of “New Chrysanthemum Flowers”To the Tune of “Poluomen Song”Mei Yaochen (1002–1060)At Night I Hear My Neighbor Singing Ouyang Xiu (1007–1072)To the Tune of “Spring in the Tower of Jade” Painting Eyebrows, to the Tune of “Pouring Out Deep Emotions”The Sound of Beating Oars Wafts in Among the Flowers You Cannot Hold It . . . Green Jade Plum Trees in Spring When the Moon is in the River of HeavenQin Guan (1049–1100)To the Tune of “Magpie Bridge Immortal”To a Courtesan Madam Wei (fl.1050)To the Tune of “Attached to Her Skirt”Zhou Bangyan (1056–1121)To the Tune of “Rambling Young Man”To the Tune of “Butterflies Adore Flowers”Zhu Shuzhen (1063–1106)To the Tune of “Washing Creek Sands”Spring Joy Spring Night, to the Tune of “Panning Gold” 124Li Qingzhao (1084–c.1151)To the Tune of “Dream Song”To the Tune of “Intoxicated in the Shade of Flowers” To the Tune of “The Blossoming Sprig of Plum”To the Tune of “Spring at Wu Ling”To the Tune of “Silk Washing Brook”Yan Rui ( fl.c. 1160)To the Tune of “Song of Divination”Wu Wenying (c.1200–c.1260)To the Tune of “Washing Creek Sands”To the Tune of “Prelude to Oriole Song”Guan Hanjing (c.1240–c.1320)To the Tune of “Half and Half,” Two Poems Zheng YunniangThe Song of Shoes (To Zhang Sheng) To the Tune of “West River Moon” (To Zhang Sheng) Guan Daosheng (1262–1319)Love Poem Anonymous (Yuan Dynasty?)To the Tune of “Washing Gauze in a Stream”To the Tune of “Half and Half”Chen Keming (c.1300–after 1375)To the Tune of “Half and Half ”Tang Yin (1470–1523)From The Happiness of Monks Inscription for a Portrait Huang E (1498–1569)To the Tune of “The Fall of a Little Wild Goose”To the Tune of “Soaring Clouds”To the Tune of “Red Embroidered Shoes” To the Tune of “A Floating Cloud Crosses Enchanted Mountain”A Farewell to a Southern Melody Tang Xianzu (1550–1616)From The Peony Pavilion—Her Erotic Dream —Jade Limbs Xie Zhaozhe (1567–1624)Spring Complaints Yuan Hongdao (1568–1610)At Hengtang Ferry Anonymous (Ming Dynasty)From Flower Encampment and Battle Formations—To the Tune of “Like a Dream” —To the Tune of “Boating at Night” —To the Tune of “Watching the Sea Tide”—To the Tune of “The Forest of Writing Brushes Academy” —To the Tune of “Magpie on the Branch”—To the Tune of “Gold Man Holding a Plate for Collecting Dew”—To the Tune of “Spring in the Phoenix Tower”—To the Tune of “One Sprig of Plum”—To the Tune of “Visiting Spring”—To the Tune of “Unhooking Entangled Rings”—To the Tune of “Sand Washed by Waves” Poetry Collected by Feng Menglong (1574–1646)Untitled A Dragging Cotton Skirt Clever Lantern Shooting Star The Bento Box The Boat A Boat Trip We’e Only Happy About Tonight A Nun in Her Orchid Chamber Solitude Feels Lust Like a Monster Steal a Peep Impatience Squeeze A Good Day Tryst Flirting Flirting Flirting Cursing Dukang Misidentification Footsteps A Gift of Watermelon Seed Kernels Asking About a Bite Mark A Drunk Returns Fire in the Eyes Again Conversation Between Heart and Mouth Hooked Idiot Thoughts Idiot Thoughts Account Book Sobbing and Thinking The Dream The Dream Lovesickness Receiving a Letter Divination Departure Night Struggle Revealing Words The Fear To Keep Him Rooster Imaginary Moonrise Midnight The Girl The Girl Too Many WindLing Mengchu (1580–1644)Bed Time Between the SheetsWang Wei (c.1600–c.1647)To the Tune of “Drunk in the Spring Wind”Retired Scholar “Ailing Crane” of Tung-Hai (c.1606)Rousing the Dreaming Lover Awakening from a Spring SlumberWu Weiye (1609–1672)On Meeting an Old Flame, to the Tune of “Immortal by the River”Anonymous (c.1618)From The Plum in the Golden Vase—On Infidelity—The Six Inch Thing—The Lotus Thing —A Night of Many Positions—To the Tune of “West River Moon”—To the Tune of “West River Moon” —To the Tune of “Walking on Grass”—A Body Like Snow-White Jade —Water Sex —The Two-Edged Sword—Green Jade and Red Rouge —Butterfly and Flower Wu Zao (1799–1863)To the Tune of “Beautiful Lady Yu”Fan Zengxiang (1846–1931)Noonday Wang Guowei (1877–1927)To the Tune of “Butterfly Loving Flowers”: Visiting My Parents After My Wedding Night Su Manshu (The Half-Monk) (1884–1918)From 10 Narrative Poems To the Zither Player AnonymousOn a Brothel Wall Yu Qingzeng (Late 19th Century)To the Tune of “Intoxicated with Shadows of Flowers” Liu Dabai (1880–1932)Kiss by MailXu Zhimo (1895–1931)You Deserve It J. S. Ling (1901–?)A Morning Shower Mang Ke (1951–)DarlingZhang Zhen (1961–)The Cat at My Friend’s House A Desire Chen Dongdong (1961–)Snow-Covered Sun Tang Yaping (1962–)Black Cave Black Midnight Black Rock Cyril Wong (1977–)I Didn’t Expect to Write About Sex Biographical Notes Acknowledgments
