The Columbia Book of Chinese Poetry ─ From Early Times to the Thirteenth Century

"The Columbia Book of Chinese Poetry" presents translations of more than 420 poems by 96 poets drawn from the great ages of Chinese poetry. It begins with selections from the "Book of Odes," the oldest anthology of Chinese poetry compiled around the seventh century B.C., and covers the succeeding generations down to the end of the Sung dynasty in A.D. 1279.

Important poets such as Tao Y?an-ming, LiPo, Tu Fu, Su Tung-po, and Lu Yu are treated in separate sections with generous samplings from their works, while lesser poets are represented in chapters devoted to the particular era in which they lived. A general introduction discusses the major characteristics and forms of traditional Chinese poetry, while introductory essays to the individual chapters outline the history of poetic development in China over the centuries.

Burton Watson is one of the world's best-known translators from the Chinese and Japanese. His translations include The Lotus Sutra, The Vimalakirti Sutra, Ryokan: Zen Monk-Poet of Japan, Saigyo: Poems of a Mountain Home, and Chuang Tzu: Basic Writings all published by Columbia.