Chuci is a poetic style based on the folk songs of the ancient kingdom of Chu, characterized by mythological content and ritual use. It is marked by unrestrained emotions, romantic wonders, and a unique poetic world. Over time, the term "Chuci" has acquired two meanings: one refers to the poetic style (sometimes also called "Saoti," poetry in the "Lisao" style), and the other is the name of a famous collection of poems. At the end of the Western Han Dynasty, Liu Xiang compiled a collection of 25 works by Qu Yuan (340-278 BC), including "Lisao" ("Encountering Sorrow"), "Jiuge" ("Nine Songs"), "Tianwen" ("Heavenly Questions"), "Jiuzhang" ("Nine Declarations"), "Yuanyou" ("The Distant Journey"), "Buju" ("Divination"), "Yufu" ("The Fisherman"), and others. This collection also included 16 works by other authors (such as Song Yu, Jia Yi, Yan Ji, Dongfang Shuo, Wang Bao, and Liu Xiang) and was named "The Songs of Chu."
“Nine Songs - The Spirit of the Mountain” by Qu Yuan (Taken from "The Kingdom of Chinese Poetry" p. 91)
If you seem to catch a glimpse of someone up there
in the curve of the mountain, that's me
Shrouded in ivy and bearded lichens
Sweet look and joyful smile
You admire my grace and delicate beauty
I ride a purple panther, follwed by leopard cats
And a magnolia wood chariot with laurel banners
Wearing an orchid dress, ginger flowers gird my waist
I gather fragrant flowers to gift to my beloved
I dwell in a deep bamboo forest, so dense the sky is unseen
The path is arduous and difficult, late I arrive, but no one is there
Alone I stand on the mountain peak
Clouds float and gather below me
Day turns dark as night
The east wind swirls, divine rain falls
I, a goddess, linger here out of love
Forgetting to return to the celestial realm
The years go by, who will remain ever beautiful as a flower?
On the mountain, I gather the magical mushroom of youth
Climbing through boulders and intricate kudzu vines
Regretful for the missed appointment,
Disheartened for not yet returning to the heavenly realm.
You think of me, but never have time
We, mountain dwellers, are like fragrant and immaculate pollia flowers
Drinking from pure rocky springs, in the shade of pines and cypresses
Do you think of me? Doubt creeps into my heart
Thunder rumbles, somber rain falls
Monkeys cry and scream all night long
The wind howls, desolate trees lose their leaves
I think of the young lord, useless sadness grows
“Mountain Spirit” is one of the “Nine Songs” written during the Warring States period by Qu Yuan (340-278 BC), a poet of the Chu Kingdom, and is a sacrificial hymn recited by shamans in honor of the mountain spirit. The entire poem is written in an elegant and richly romantic style. With a delicate and vivid touch, the poet describes the inner world of the mountain spirit in a complex and varied way, with sincere and moving emotions.
In 278 BC, Qin’s army destroyed Yingdu, the capital of the Chu Kingdom. Qu Yuan could no longer contain his inner sadness and wrote “Embracing the Sand”, one of the “Nine Declarations” of utter resignation, and threw himself into the Miluo River as a sacrifice for his country. Qu Yuan’s patriotic spirit and touching poetry have led successive generations to commemorate him on the fifth day of the fifth month of the lunar calendar.
It is one of the ancient traditional festivals of the Chinese nation, the “Dragon Boat Festival”, the “Duan Yang Festival”. Due to the different holiday customs in different regions, it also has many other names, such as “May Festival”, “Poets” Festival“, ”Dragon Day“ and so on. To this day, the ”Dragon Boat Festival” remains a very popular celebration for the Chinese people.
