In the 25th year of Emperor Kangxi(1686),Zhang Mei was appoin-ted as magistrate of Zichuan and lofted in 28th years(1689).During this period,Pu Songling communicated with many places,and there were many works related to Zhang Mei in the Collected Poems of Liaozhai and the Collected prose of Liaozhai.The group poem Sad and Happy Thirteen Ballads is an important work in the Collected Poems of Liaozhai,and a farewell work of Pu Songling when Zhang Mei left office.Pu Songling used thirteen seven-character quatrains to express six types of"sorrow"and seven types of"joy"towards Zhang Mei's departure.Through the witty and colloquial poetry language with vulgar meanings,he conveyed the sadness of the kind people of Zichuan and the joy of the deceitful individuals,reflecting the true social situation of Zichuan society.This work holds considerable historical and literary value and can be regarded as a"poetic history".
Pu SonglingZhang MeiZichuanThirteen Ballads of Sorrow and Joypoetic history