Pilgrim of the Clouds

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Yüan Hung-tao (1568-1610) was the greatest poet of Ming-Dynasty China. His poetry and essays brilliantly exhibit an originality and vitality that were lacking in the writing of his contemporaries. In an age that looked to the masters of the Han and T'ang dynasties for inspiration, Yüan believed that "as the ways of society undergo change, literature must follow suit. So it is natural that the present need not imitate the past". Presented for the first time in English translation, the writings of Yüan and his two brothers reveal these men to have been individualists who made outstanding contributions to the growth and development of poetry in their country. Unlike most other Ming poets, they were not afraid to look critically at the world around them, thus presenting a penetrating picture of Ming society as well as producing both poetry and prose of surpassing beauty and freshness.