Li Ch′ing–chao Complete ∗poems∗

The poetry of Li Ching-chao has always appeared quite inspirational. Rexroth's translations do, for a western audience, convey the power and the pathos of the poems. As with all translations one feels tempted to seek out other versions to see both the similarities and the many differences in interpretation. Rexroth is not without his critics and even the notes by his colleague in the book point to silent 'editing' by the poet/translator, but that cannot take away from the genuine empathy that he has with his subject. I'm certainly happy with the results.. Enjoy!!

This is a really wonderful book and anyone who is interested in poetry from any country would love it.

As I have to write a term paper in my seminar on Chinese Lyrics I chose this book to work with. The poems are already in a certain order (Youth, Loneliness, His Death etc) which is helpful in analyzing them. There is a lot of space around each poem for notes and comments. The biography at the end is also nice. The extra comments on the poems were sometimes helpful, sometimes not that much. For Western readers some explanations would be nice, for instance what wild geese mean in Chinese poems etc. But still it is great to work with. My only negative point is that there were no dates for the poems. Only the chapters give some idea on when each poem was written (I know it possibly is difficult to give a date because Li Qingzhao lived some time ago but an estimate would have been nice. I can only guess by chapter title and biography. Difficult when you have to work with it as a student and cite it correctly..Anyway, all in all I really like this book.Besides, some of the poems are really nice and carry a lot of meaning. If one likes the use of nature to convey meaning and emotions in poems: this is the book!

This is an outstanding collections of translations from the Chinese by a well-known poet (Kenneth Rexroth) and (in the U.S. at least) a lesser-known Chinese poet: Ling Chung. At the end of the collection there is a good, if brief, biography of Li by Ling Chung.The poems read well in English even though some of them have a definite "Rexroth feel" to them. This is not meant to take anything away from the translations or the translators. Anyone who makes the attempt to translate from one incomensurate language (English) to another (Chinese) has his/her work cut out for them.This small book certainly has a place in the library of anyone who has even a passing interest in Asian poetry in general and Chinese poetry in particular.

Poetry and translations of high quality. These English renditions are more restrained than one might expect from co-translator Kenneth Rexroth. The notes suggest an almost scholarly angle.

Humble, but careful edition of the complete poems of Li Ching Chao.

The book is in very good shape. I appreciate having this book. Haeven't had time to read it as yet.