Mei Yuan

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I Don't Bow to Buddhas: Selected Poems of Yuan Mei

Mei Yuan; Jerome P Seaton

Synopsis:
Yuan Mei was not only the most popular poet of the 18th century Ch'ing Dynasty, but the most popular poet in the 2500-year history of classical Chinese poetry. A male feminist who dared to promote poetry by women at a time when it was suppressed, and a poet who wrote on forbidden subjects, he retired from public office in his mid-thirties and enjoyed a successful career writing for the newly-formed urban class. Deeply influenced by Ch'an (Zen) Buddhist and Taoist philosophy, while he does not "bow to Buddhas," he does "honor a monk" because "He's here now, apparently." His self-effacing good humor and urbane wit combine with his Ch'an perspective to make him unique in the annals of Chinese poetry.

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