What is this Substack about?
The Three Hundred Tang Poems is a collection of Chinese poems from the Tang Dynasty(618-907). It was first compiled in the 18th century, and it actually contains a bit more than three hundred poems. I will be translating one poem from the collection every week and attach a few lines of my musing to send them to you.
Why are you doing this?
One of my quiet pastimes is to read short poems in Classical Chinese. (Is Classical Chinese ancient? Is it different from Modern Mandarin? Yes and no, to both questions!) It is often a soothing, reassuring, reawakening, and chastening experience. I want to share this experience with you. While there are already good English translations out there, I would like to focus more on creating a personal space between you and I, where we can read medieval Chinese poems together by small bits.
Who’s behind this?
I am Hyun Woo Kim, a writer living in Seoul and a finalist of the 2023 Los Angeles Review Short Fiction Award. My published works can be read here. When not writing, I am often busy telling people online that my name is Hyun Woo, not Hyun. Naturally, there will be times when I mention my writing life, since I read poems through my own experiences, just as any real living person does. I, however, would rather stay more as a reader of poems than a writer on this Substack.
Why subscribe?
I want to share one medieval Chinese poem with you every week because I like them and I think you will like them too. What could be a better reason than that?
Should I upgrade my subscription to paid?
First, I am so grateful that you are thinking of financially supporting me. The answer to the question above: yes and no. Again, it is great that you want to help my translation project keep going financially. I intend to leave the newsletter itself free since I want more people to enjoy medieval Chinese poetry.
However, it does not mean that I do not need any financial support. I want to spend more time and effort on this newsletter, and the money does let me do so. Thus, I offer two things to my paid subscribers: first, access to the full archive (each post on Substack goes behind the paywall after four weeks), and second, a Classical Chinese poetry postcard every three months. Yes, a physical postcard, no matter where you are in this world. (If you happen to be not on this planet, please reach out. Let’s discuss what we could do.)
This is what a Classical Chinese poetry postcard looks like.
Still unnsure about upgrading your subscription? Here are a few comments from paid subscribers:
“Thank you for the card-it's beautiful as is the poem. Thank you 🩵🪄” - Chen Rafaeli
“i just subscribed because of the postcards! i would totally buy the ones i missed” - darius/dare carrasquillo
“[…] I love your translation project so much! […] I'm excited for the postcards! Thank you for the work you do!” - erb
