Qu Yuan and His Poems

Qu Yuan is one of the most respected poets in Chinese history. He lived in the period of the Warring States (475BC--221BC). During this time, several states fought each other. Among them, Qin and Chu were the most dominant.

Yuan was a nobleman in Chu. He was a senior government official and was an extremely talented diplomat. The king of Chu trusted him very much and was pleased to have such a intellectual in his court. While many scholars wanted to travel abroad, Qu Yuan was happy to stay in his homeland. His aim was to help the king make Chu a prosperous and enlightened state. Unfortunately, he was framed by some corrupt noblemen and was eventually estranged by the king. Chu gradually declined and, in 278BC, it was taken over the Qin army. Qu Yuan was devastated and ended up committing suicide.

Qu Yuan left behind an impeccable body of work, including the masterpiece "the Sorrow of Separation". It was the longest political lyric in the history of ancient Chinese literature. In it, Qu Yuan expressed his hope for a fair and moral king. He also encouraged Chu to unite with other states in order to resist the Qin. "The Sorrow of Separation" was a new expressive form ¨C very different from China's first poem collection "The Book of Songs". It helped launch a new era of realism and romanticism in Chinese poetry.

Besides "The Sorrow of Separation", Qu Yuan's "Question Heaven" is also considered a masterpiece. In it, the author asked 172 questions of heaven. Among them were inquiries about astronomy, geography, literature and philosophy. The poet expressed his doubt about many traditional beliefs and encouraged a more scientific approach to seeking the truth. In the "Nine Songs", Qu Yuan wrote a series of sacrificial songs about love between people and supernatural beings.

There were also many strange ideas in Qu Yuan's work. He gave trees and flowers life-like qualities and created many fairies to symbolize his noble mind. Qu Yuan treated his readers to beautiful language and fancy metaphors, but also conveyed a nobility and deep love for his homeland. As a result, Qu Yuan has been the most reverend classical poet for thousands of years.

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