Selected & Annotated by Liu Yangzhong 
Selected Poems of Yan Shu — Series of Selected Classical Chinese Literature [EPUB ebook] 

Yan Shu, also known by his courtesy name Tongshu, was posthumously honored as Yuanxian, and therefore later referred to as Yan Yuanxian. He hailed from Linchuan, Fuzhou (now Fuzhou, Jiangxi), and played a leading role in the early Northern Song Dynasty’s ci poetry. As one of the pioneers who paved the way for the development of Song ci poetry, Yan Shu’s ci poems predominantly depicted the feelings of parting and lovesickness between men and women. A few of his works also portrayed the luxurious lifestyle of banquets and revelry. His literary scope was somewhat narrow, but compared to previous ci poets, Yan Shu’s language was elegant, profound, and deeply understated. Some of his pieces even carried a profound emotion, exuding a compelling power of infection. Hence, Wang Guowei, in his Comments on Ci Poetry, likened Yan Shu’ ci poetry to the essence of the Book of Songs, praising how he captured the spirit. In this annotated collection of Yan Shu’ ci poems, we relied on the Zhuyu Ci section from The Complete Collection of Song Ci as the foundation. We added two anonymous works and provided analyses. This facilitates readers in quickly and comprehensively grasping the distinctive features of Yan Shu’s ci poetry.