An anthology of nearly 100 Chinese lyrics (san-ch'u) by 23 poets, three of them anonymous, all from the Yuan period (1271-1368). Seaton's colloquial English renderings are a sheer pleasure to read, so much so that the reader is apt to forget he is enjoying translations, until the occasional proper noun appears. All the lyrics chosen deal in one way or another with the rejection of worldly pursuits, and the majority recommend wine as one way, if not the way, to find relief from the tensions of life, hence the subtitle." -- Choice.