Lament for Ying (Chinese: 哀郢, pinyin: Äi Yǐng) is a poem written by famed Chinese poet Qu Yuan ca. 278 BCE.

Background

According to tradition, Qu Yuan, a patriot of Chu, his home country, wrote the work in anguish as the Qin general Bai Qi marched his troops upon Yingdu , capital of Chu (in present-day Hubei province), threating to invade. In the face of the imminent peril confronting his homeland, he was filled with fury and grief. The poem expresses his deep concern and worry for his country's fate, his pity for the people of Chu, and his anger at the country's self-indulgent ruler who had allowed this tragedy to befall them.