In the 5,000-year history of Chinese civilisation, the Tang (618-907) and Song (960-1279) dynasties stood out for their unique cultural significance and their appeal to posterity. What gave them this significance was, for the most part, the poems of the Tang dynasty and the lyrics of the Song dynasty. Both fall into the literary genre of poetry, but Tang poems consist of verses in the generic sense of the word, while Song poetry has a distinctive quality of its own. This unique collection showcases many of the most notable poems of the period.