It's here! Browse the 2024 Penguin Christmas gift guide
The Songs of the South

The Songs of the South

An Ancient Chinese Anthology of Poems By Qu Yuan And Other Poets

Summary

The Songs of the South is an anthology first compiled in the second century A.D. Its poems, originating from the state of Chu and rooted in Shamanism, are grouped under seventeen titles and contain all that we know of Chinese poetry's ancient beginnings. The earliest poems were composed in the fourth century B.C. and almost half of them are traditionally ascribed to Qu Yuan.

About the author

Qu Yuan

Learn More

Sign up to the Penguin Newsletter

For the latest books, recommendations, author interviews and more