The three arts of poetry, calligraphy and painting are regarded in China as the Triple Excellence, and they are brought together here in a beautifully presented anthology of forty Chinese love poems ranging from the earliest known works in the famous Book of Songs to the work of Chairman Mao and other twentiethcentury poets, including poignant examples from the high point of Chinese poetry in the Tang dynasty (618–906). The subject of all the poems and extracts is love, in all its variations: the love of husbands and wives, family and friends, times and places as well as courtship, passion and parting. Selected English translations by respected scholars are each illustrated with a scene from a Chinese painting or print in the collection of the British Museum. Each poem is also illuminated by the artistic brushwork calligraphy of Qu Lei Lei. Jane Portal’s introduction summarizes the history and development of Chinese poetry, and she provides brief biographical notes on the poets as well as suggestions for further reading.
