Volume II, What the Cuckoo Said, explores Southern Song Dynasty poets. A celebrated woman poet strikes the first note. After her comes a thematic chapter, "Blood Red the Raging River", a poem attributed to the legendary hero Yue Fei, followed by a surprisingly sentimental patriotic poet and a couple of his easy-going contemporaries. Next comes a rebellious woman branded as fallen and neglected for centuries. The volume ends with the romantic and passionate Dragon of the era.
Susan Wan Dolling brings her third volume on Song Dynasty poets, another rich tapestry of history, culture, and lyrical beauty.
