Nicholas Morrow Williams - Elegies of Chu

The anthology Elegies of Chu (Chuci) is one of the earliest collections of Chinese poetry, compiled in the second century ce , and a touchstone of Chinese culture ever since. While other ancient Chinese classics are dedicated to achieving political harmony or to recounting historical events, the poems compiled in the Elegies offer voices of protest, private frustration, and otherworldly longings. The vivid symbolism of the poems is drawn from the natural landscapes of southern China, while the spiritual journeys and dreams of immortality are inspired by local religious rites as well. The Elegies of Chu thus offers an enlightening perspective on ancient China that is often at odds with the orthodox political tradition that later prevailed.

The fundamental background of the anthology is that of the Zhou dynasty (1045221 bce ), the long period when much of Chinas culture was established. But the unique literary and spiritual features of the anthology are distinctively tied to the specific cultural milieu of the southern state of Chu, an independent kingdom until the 3rd century bce , as well as the Han dynasty (206 bce 220 ce ) when the text of the anthology as a whole was established. Indeed, the most remarkable thing about the anthology as a whole may be its synthesis of these various origins, beginning with the inspiring legends and governing models of the Zhou; taking flight from Chu with its reverence for magic and spirits unusual in the orthodox culture of premodern China; and ultimately coalescing under the sophisticated bureaucracy of the Han empire.

In approximately the year 1045 bce , King Wu defeated the ruling dynasty of Shang to establish the Zhou dynasty, with its capital near the modern city of Xian in Shaanxi province. Though the historical sources for the early Zhou are limited, its governing institutions and doctrines have been inspirations and models for Chinese culture ever since. In particular, the Zhou victory was said to have moral implications, proving the Zhou regime to be vindicated by the mandate of Heaven itself. King Wu and his father, posthumously awarded the title King Wen, were seen not just as effective leaders but also as models of virtue. One of their most prominent virtues was said to be their appreciation of merit even in unlikely candidates, such as the hero L Wang, formerly a butcher in the Shang capital, but later a keen minister to both Kings Wen and Wu. L Wang is praised by name already in the first poem in the Elegies, the Li sao, where we read that while he was brandishing a butchers knifehe found his true mtier by meeting King Wen of Zhou.