Stone Lake

Stone Lake is a translation and study of the poetry of Fan Chengda (1126–1193), one of the most famous Chinese poets of the twelfth century. For the non-specialist reader the main attraction of the book will be the translations from an extensive body of Fan Chengda’s poetry, which make up almost half of the text, and includes poems on such familiar themes as the Chinese countryside, peasant life, Buddhism and growing old. The more technical part of the book contains a biography of the poet, a discussion of his affiliation with poets of the generation before him such as Lu You and Yang Wanli, a detailed analysis of his style, and discussion of the major themes of his work.

Preface; Acknowledgements; Part I. Biography and Critical Study: 1. The life of Fan Chengda; 2. The formative period; 3. Jiangxi wit and Fan Chengda; 4. Buddhism and the dharma of sleep; 5. The mountains and rivers; 6. The fields and gardens; 7. The poetry of patriotism; Part II. Translations: 8. Early verse (ca. 1150–1155); 9. In Huizhou (1156–1160); 10. In and out of the capital (1160–1172); 11. To the deep South and far West (1172–1177); 12. Old age and retirement (1177–1193); Notes; Bibliography; Index.