Themes
Themes are ways of walking between poems: the moon, homesickness, landscape, wine as a literary occasion. A theme page is a map, not a claim that the image means one thing.
Farewell Poems 送別 Tang farewell poems before, during, and after departure: an offered cup, a song from shore, a vanishing sail, and the question of a friend’s return. Frontiers and War 邊塞與征戰 Read frontier and war poems through travel, military ambition, waiting, and the effects of service on people far from the fighting. Homesickness 思鄉 Read homesickness and separation in Li Bai, Du Fu, and Meng Haoran, comparing a named home, a missing letter, and a traveler’s sorrow at dusk. Love and Longing 相思 A reading path through Chinese poetry about love and separation, distinguishing a lover’s longing from friendship, family attachment, and homesickness. Time and Memory 歲月與懷古 Read poems about passing years, remembered people, and historical remains, with attention to the difference between personal memory and looking back at history. The Moon 月 Chinese moon poems about home, company, travel, and separation, with close comparisons of Li Bai, Wang Wei, Meng Haoran, Su Shi, and Li Qingzhao. Music and Listening 樂聲與聆聽 Read poems in which a flute, a zither, or a remembered performer changes a scene, with notes that distinguish instruments, tunes, and the listener's response. Nature and Landscape 山水 Read Chinese landscape poems through sound, light, flowers, birds, and changing viewpoints, from Tang quatrains to Su Shi’s Mount Lu poem. Wine 酒 The literary work of a cup in Chinese poetry: invitations, farewells, imagined companions, and the morning after, from Bai Juyi to Li Qingzhao.