If a Mountain Lion Could Sing: The Lyric Poems of Xin Qiji

by Xin Qiji

If a Mountain Lion Could Sing stands as the first major English translation of poems written by China’s greatest lyric poet, Xin Qiji.

World-renowned translator Red Pine has found a new dance partner. His latest bilingual collection, If a Mountain Lion Could Sing, boasts 126 poems by swordsman, visionary, and China’s greatest lyric poet, Xin Qiji. Paying respects at the poet’s grave and visiting the very places where Xin composed his stanzas—the cassia trees of the Wu River, houseboats along the Yangzi, mountain monasteries—Red Pine makes a physical and spiritual exercise of translation. Written over 800 years ago, and to melodies since lost, Xin’s verses still leap across centuries, mapping real and interior landscapes, relaying universal concepts of duty and solitude, love and nostalgia. Though “true mirrors are hard to come by,” Xin’s poems serve as haunting reflections of a man who sang with “heroic abandon.”

Genres: Poetry, China

296 pages, Paperback

Published May 6, 2025

Reviews

[Jonathan Koven · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this collection of translated "ci poems" (poems written to existing melodies) originally written during the 12th and 13th centuries by Chinese visionary poet and soldier Xin Qiji. The translator Red Pine goes the extra mile with historical context to each piece, summarizing where and when each was written, what songs Xin Qiji wrote his lyrics to, and more. What struck me most was Xin's tenderness and sentimentality, and how relatable these poems are--to this Western reader over 800 years later. There's a charming delicacy to his voice, where each poem is easy to understand but the turns-of-phrase are always unexpected. It's a joy to dwell with his words, as he muses on the brevity of youth, remembrances and regrets, the corruption of politics, the fleeting beauty of simple pleasures. A lovely reminder that although the world has changed, humanity is not so different from almost a millennium ago.

[Shinji007 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. And as always, Red Pine's commentary proves invaluable.