Juemiao haoci 絶妙好詞

Juemiao haoci 絶妙好詞 "Excellent and marvellous poems" is an anthology of lyric-metre poetry (ci 詞) compiled during the Southern Song period 南宋 (1127-1279) by Zhou Mi 周密 (1232-1298), who is also known for his books Qidong yeyu 齊東野語, Guixin zashi 癸辛雜識, Wulin jiushi 武林舊事, Chenghuailu 澄懷録, Caochuang yunyu 草窗韻語 and Caochuang ci 草窗詞.

The book was completed between 1295 and 1298. All surviving editions of the book consist of 7 juan. However, Huang Yuji's 黄虞稷 (1626-1692) book catalogue Qianqingtang shumu 千頃堂書目 lists Zhou Mi's Juemiao haoci xuan 絶妙好詞選 as a book of 8 juan. This title includes the extra word "selection" (xuan 選). Referring to Zhu Yizun's 朱彝尊 (1629-1709) remarks in his Bushuting ji 曝書亭集, entry Shu Juemiao haoci hou 書絶妙好詞後, it can be understood that juan 7 was fragmentary, and the table of contents was also lost. Later scholars, therefore, suspected that prior to the circulation of the early Qing-period 清 (1644-1911) edition, Zhou's work had already suffered losses.

The widely circulated edition of the Juemiao haoci contains nearly four hundred ci poems by 132 poets. Organised according to rhyme categories, the fascicles and the poets within each fascicle are arranged roughly in chronological order, though the sequence is not strictly precise. Zhou Mi did not provide biographical notes under each poet’s name, nor are there any prefatory or concluding remarks in the book. Nevertheless, through the selection of works included, one can still discern his intent in compiling the anthology.

First, Zhou Mi aimed to preserve a relatively complete roster of prominent ci poets active since the Shaoxing reign-period 紹興 (1131-1162) of the Southern Song for future generations. Alongside major figures such as Zhang Xiaoxiang 張孝祥 (1132-1169), Fan Chengda 范成大 (1126-1193), Lu You 陸游 (1125-1210), Xin Qiji 辛棄疾 (1140-1207), Jiang Kui 姜夔 (1155-1221) or Wu Wenying 吳文英 (c. 1205-c. 1260), the anthology also features works by many lesser-known poets—such as Han Liu 韓疁, Zhou Jin 周晉, Zhong Guo 鍾過, Zeng Kui 曾揆, Jiang Kai 江開 or Tan Xuanzi 譚宣子. The descriptive catalogue Siku quanshu zongmu tiyao 四庫全書總目提要 praises the Juemiao haoci for preserving such "scattered pearls and broken jade".

Second, Zhou Mi sought—through the selections in this anthology—to present the refined and graceful (wanyue qingya 婉約清雅) ci-style poetry that he most admired. In the seven extant fascicles of the anthology, the top ten poets are: Zhou Mi himself (with 22 poems), Wu Wenying (16), Jiang Kui (13), Li Lailao 李萊老 (fl. 1260; 13 poems), Li Penglao 李彭老 (c. 1250; 12), Shi Dazu 史達祖 (c. 1160—c. 1210; 10), Lu Zugao 盧祖皋 (c. 1174-1224; 10), Gao Guanguo 高觀國 (9), Chen Yunping 陳允平 (c. 1220-c. 1295; 9), and Wang Yisun 王沂孫 (c. 1230-c. 1291; 9). These poets constitute nearly a third of the entire collection. The chosen works are undoubtedly marked by exquisite craftsmanship in diction, refined attention to tonal patterns, and an elegant, gentle aesthetic. This is true not only of the ten most-selected poets and their literary circles, but also of the anthology as a whole. Even in the case of a master of the bold-unrestrained style (haofang 豪放) like Xin Qiji, Zhou Mi selected only pieces with a graceful charm (wanyue).

Because the original printing blocks were lost, the book remained forgotten throughout the Yuan 元 (1279-1368) and Ming 明 (1368-1644) periods. It was only during the Kangxi reign-period 康熙 (1662-1722) of the Qing era 清 (1644-1911), when Ke Yu 柯煜 (1666-1736) engraved and printed it from a manuscript copy once owned by Qian Zeng 錢曾 (1629-1701), that the scholarly world recognised its true form. Subsequently, thanks to the efforts of figures such as Zhu Yizun and Li E 厲鶚 (1692-1752), the Juemiao haoci became widely known. The development of the Zhexi School of poetry (Zhexi cipai 浙西詞派) was deeply influenced by this work.

In the 19th century, enthusiasts like Yu Ji 余集 (1738-1823) and Xu Mao 徐楙 compiled an additional fascicle of Southern Song-period ci poems, which had been omitted by Zhou Mi. These were titled Xuchao 續鈔 and Youxu 又續, and were later incorporated into the widely circulated annotated edition, Juemiao haoci jian 絶妙好詞箋.

Important studies on the book are Zheng Wenzhuo's 鄭文焯 (1856-1918) Juemiao haoci pangzheng 絶妙好詞旁證 and Juemiao haoci jiaolu 絶妙好詞校録, Wu Xionghe's 吳熊和 (1934-2012) Tang-Song ci tonglun 唐宋詞通論 and Rao Zongyi's 饒宗頤 (1917-2018) Ci jikao 詞集考.