Arthur Waley

Murasaki Shikibu

Lady Murasaki

The classic novel of court life in tenth and eleventh-century Japan centers on the exploits of a nobleman known as the shining Genji, son of an emperor, and those of Kaoru, grandson of Genji's best friend.

The Tale of Genji

Joseph Roe Allen

A scholarly translation of the ancient collection of poems known as the Confucian Odes

The Book of Songs

170 Chinese Poems

The 'uta'

Japanese Poetry

Confucius and Lao Tzu

Cheng'en Wu

Monkey

The events of the war are recounted from the Chinese viewpoint by means of contemporary diaries and other documents

The Opium War Through Chinese Eyes

Translations from the Chinese,

With some hesitation I have included literal versions of six poems (three of the "Seventeen Old Poems," "Autumn Wind," "Li Fu jen," and "On the Death of his Father") already skilfully rhymed by Professor Giles in "Chinese Poetry in English Verse." They were too typical to omit; and a comparison of the two renderings may be of interest. Some of these translations have appeared in the "Bulletin of the School of Oriental Studies," in the "New Statesman," in the "Little Review" (Chicago), and in "Poetry" (Chicago).

A Hundred and Seventy Chinese Poems

Sei Shonagon

This is a new release of the original 1928 edition.

The Pillow Book of Sei Shonagon

Sei Shōnagon

The Pillow-book of Sei Shōnagon

Poems from: The book of songs - 170 Chinese poems - More transalations - The temple.

Selected from 170 Chinese Poems, More Translations from the Chinese, The Temple and The Book of Songs

Chinese Poems

The Nō Plays of Japan is an anthology by Arthur Waley. It covers the traditional No plays of Japan where subjects such as insanity and obsession flourish along with demons, gods and beautiful women.

The Nō Plays of Japan

The Tale of Genji is the Japanese classic written by the noblewoman Lady Murasaki in the 11th century. It is sometimes called the world's first novel, the first psychological novel, or the first novel still to be considered a classic. While hard to classify precisely, it is universally considered a masterpiece in both Western and Eastern fiction. The novelist Yasunari Kawabata said in his Nobel Prize acceptance speech: "The Tale of Genji in particular is the highest pinnacle of Japanese literature. Even down to our day there has not been a piece of fiction to compare with it." Critics have often described The Tale of Genji as the oldest, first, and/or greatest novel in Japanese literature.

First published in 1939. This book consists chiefly of extracts from Chuang Tzu, Mencius and Han Fei Tzu. Chuang Tzu's appeal is to the imagination; the appeal of mencius is to the moral feelings; realism, as expounded by Han Fei Tzu, finds a close parallel in modern Totalitarianism and as a result these extracts from a book of the third century B.C. nonetheless have a very contemporary connection.

Three Ways of Thought in Ancient China

The Arthur Waley Estate

First published in 1938. Previous translations of the Analects of Confucius are based upon a medieval interpretation which reflects the philosophy of the 12th century A.D rather than of the 5th century B.C., when Confucius lived. This book detaches the Analects from the Scholastic interpretation and lets these famous sayings speak for themselves.

The Analects of Confucius

701-762 A.D.

The Poetry and Career of Li Po

Lao Tzu

Laozi

Dr. Waley reviews China's prehistory, early philosophy, and literature in this treatise

A Study of the Tao Tê Ching and Its Place in Chinese Thought

The Way and Its Power

First published in 1956. Arthur Waley here presents an engrossing account of the works and life of Yuan Mei (1716-1797), the best-known poet of his time. Gaiety is the keynote of his works and the poet was a friend of the Manchu official with whom Commodore Anson had dramatic dealings at Canton in 1743. Yuan Mei gives an account (not previously translated) of Anson's interview with the Manchu authorities. The book contains many translations of Yuan Mei's verse and prose.

Eighteenth Century Chinese Poet

Yuan Mei

First published in 1934. Unlike previous translations, this translation of Lao Tzu's Tao Tê Ching is based not on the medieval commentaries but on a close study of the whole of early Chinese literature.

Arthur Waley

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