His work is one of the glories of Chinese poetry's golden age, and it has not ceased to delight readers in the twelve centuries since. Li Po (701-762) wrote of the pleasures of nature, of wine, and of the life of a wandering poet in a way that speaks to us across the centuries with remarkable intimacy--and that special, timeless quality is one of the reasons Li Po became the first of the Chinese poets to gain wide appreciation in the West. His influence is felt in the work of artists as diverse as Ezra Pound and Gustav Mahler. J. P. Seaton's translations--which include some poems that appear here in English for the first time--bring the poet vividly and playfully to life, and his introductory essay broadens our view of Li Po, both the poet and the man.

In traditional Chinese culture, the written word and the true and educated appreciation of the power and beauty of it, was prized with an almost religious reverence. Poetry held a place that was unrivalled by any other single talent, ability, or practical accomplishment as a source of prestige and affluence, and even of political power. In this rich, comprehensive collection of classical Chinese poetry, preeminent translator and scholar of Chinese, J. P. Seaton introduces the reader to the main styles of Chinese poetry and the major poets, from the classic, "Shih Ching" (The Book of Songs), which dates from 1766 BCE, to the twentieth century. Seaton's translations are fresh and vivid, and his commentaries are interesting and accessible. The poets include: Liu Pang; Hsiang Yu; Tu Fu; Ch'ien Ch'I; Wang fan-chih; Han Shan; Chiao Jan; Chiao Tao; Wei Ying-wu; Li Po; Wang Chien; Liu Yu-shi; Ch'u Yuan; Po Chu-yi; Liu Tsung-yuan; Li Ho; Liu Yung; Po P'u; Yuan Mei; Fan Tseng-hsiang; Ku Yen-wu; and many others.

A Zen poem is nothing other than an expression of the enlightened mind, a handful of simple words that disappear beneath the moment of insight to which it bears witness. Poetry has been an essential aid to Zen Buddhist practice from the dawn of Zen--and Zen has also had a profound influence on the secular poetry of the countries in which it has flourished. Here, two of America's most renowned poets and translators provide an overview of Zen poetry from China and Japan in all its rich variety, from the earliest days to the twentieth century. Included are works by Lao Tzu, Han Shan, Li Po, Dogen Kigen, Saigyo, Basho, Chiao Jan, Yuan Mei, Ryokan, and many others. Hamill and Seaton provide illuminating introductions to the Chinese and Japanese sections that set the poets and their work in historical and philosophical context. Short biographies of the poets are also included.

The "Chuang Tzu " has been translated into English numerous times, but never with the freshness, accessibility, and accuracy of this remarkable rendering. Here the immediacy of Chuang Tzu's language is restored in a idiom that is both completely fresh and true to the original text. This unique collaboration between one of America's premier poet-translators and a leading Chinese scholar presents the so-called "Inner Chapters" of the text, along with important selections from other chapters thought to have been written by Chuang Tzu's disciples.