Part 1 (2/2)
From the Chen Dynasty (A.D. 557-587) to the end of the Sui Dynasty (A.D.
589-618) there was but little good poetry produced: it was, in fact, a time of literary decadence which continued even into the beginning of the T'ang Dynasty. Then a change took place, and great poets arose who formed the T'ang School of Poetry, and the poetical technique of that school has been more or less closely copied by all writers of poetry to this day; and during the most flouris.h.i.+ng years of the T'ang Dynasty the production of poetry was so rich and abundant that that period is regarded by the Chinese as the Golden Age of Poetry.
One native commentator has likened the development of poetry to a tree: 'The three hundred odes of the s.h.i.+-King may be regarded as the root: the poems of Su-Wu and Li-ling as the first sprout from the root, and those of the Kien-An period as the increasing growth of the sprout into a stem, while the poems of the Six Dynasties are the first branches and leaves; then in the T'ang Dynasty the branches and leaves became more and more abundant, and flowers and fruit appeared crowning the n.o.ble tree of perfect poetry.' He then goes on to say: 'Students of poetry should carefully study the matter, and form, and style of the poetry of this period, as they show the source and development, the root and the full-grown flouris.h.i.+ng tree of poetry. The root must not be lost sight of in the profusion of branches and leaves, that is, students must not read the poems of the T'ang period and neglect those of ancient times; both must be studied together in order to understand the poetry of the later periods.'
Another native critic writes: 'The poets of the T'ang Dynasty developed a style of their own in poetry different from those that preceded it.'
The leading poets of the T'ang period had ability to seize all that was best in ancient poetry and embody it in a style of their own which is a natural development and not a slavish imitation.
The most prominent among the men of genius who effected this great change were Chen Tze-ang, Chang Kiu-ling, Li-Peh, Wei Ying-wuh, Liu Tsong-Yuen, Tu-Fu, Han-Yu, Tsen-T'san, w.a.n.g-Wei, w.a.n.g-Han, Li-Kiao and Chang-Shoh; and of these Li-Peh is regarded by all Chinese as a heaven-born genius--'an Immortal banished to earth,' while Tu Fu is the scholarly poet, deeply versed in all branches of Chinese literature, which gives depth, and breadth, and style, and infinite variety to his poetical compositions, which, however, though very numerous, form but a part of his contributions to the literature of his country.
The glory of the T'ang poetry dimmed somewhat towards the end of the dynasty; but during the Song Dynasty (A.D. 960-1278), which followed the brief epoch of the Five Dynasties (A.D. 907-960), Eo Yang Siu, w.a.n.g-An-s.h.i.+h, Hw.a.n.g Ting-kien, Ch'ao Pu-chi, Luh-Yu, and other poets added fresh l.u.s.tre to the glory of Chinese literature by producing many poetical compositions which could not be omitted from a large anthology containing all the best Chinese poems; but in this small book s.p.a.ce for two or three only can be found.
It should be remembered that the great poets of the T'ang and later dynasties did not always follow the new poetical technique of the T'ang Dynasty. Many of their best poems are written in the ancient style; and I have written 'ancient style' against a few of such poems among the translations, but not against all of them.
An introduction to Chinese poetry, reviewing extensively its rise and progress, the style of each period, and the characteristics of the work of each poet, would fill a large volume--several volumes indeed would hardly suffice for an exhaustive review of such a vast field of work.
But the very brief review contained in the preceding pages will enable readers to see that the three hundred odes are by no means the whole of Chinese poetry; they are, indeed, only the beginning--the source of a great river whose countless branches, some deep and pure, others shallow and sparkling, have flowed down the ages, fertilizing and beautifying every period of Chinese life and thought, and producing a vast reservoir of poetry which has inspired many in every generation with higher sentiments of nature, country, love, friends.h.i.+p, and literature.
As this book of translations is chiefly intended for readers who do not understand the Chinese language, no attempt has been made to insert the Chinese characters for the names, &c., printed in the Romanized form; but, following the advice of friends who are well versed in Chinese themselves, I hope, hereafter, to publish a small volume containing the Chinese text of the translated poems only, with a few notes which may be useful to beginners. To reprint the Chinese text and notes with the English translations in one volume would add considerably to the cost of the book, while only a comparatively small number of readers--students of the Chinese language--would find the Chinese text and notes useful.
THE TECHNIQUE OF CHINESE POETRY
Form of 7-character Luh poem beginning in the Ping tone:
A. Ping ping tseh tseh tseh ping ping Tseh tseh ping ping tseh tseh ping Tseh tseh ping ping ping tseh tseh Ping ping tseh tseh tseh ping ping Ping ping tseh tseh ping ping tseh Tseh tseh ping ping tseh tseh ping Tseh tseh ping ping ping tseh tseh Ping ping tseh tseh tseh ping ping.
Form of 7-character Luh poem beginning in the Tseh tone:
B. Tseh tseh ping ping tseh tseh ping Ping ping tseh tseh tseh ping ping Ping ping tseh tseh ping ping tseh Tseh tseh ping ping tseh tseh ping Tseh tseh ping ping ping tseh tseh Ping ping tseh tseh tseh ping ping Ping ping tseh tseh ping ping tseh Tseh tseh ping ping tseh tseh ping.
Form of 5-character Luh poem beginning in the Ping tone:
C. Ping ping tseh tseh ping Tseh tseh tseh ping ping Tseh tseh ping ping tseh Ping ping tseh tseh ping Ping ping ping tseh tseh Tseh tseh tseh ping ping Tseh tseh ping ping tseh Ping ping tseh tseh ping.
Form of 5-character Luh poem beginning in the Tseh tone:
D. Tseh tseh tseh ping ping Ping ping tseh tseh ping Ping ping ping tseh tseh Tseh tseh tseh ping ping Tseh tseh ping ping tseh Ping ping tseh tseh ping Ping ping ping tseh tseh Tseh tseh tseh ping ping.
In order to understand this arrangement of characters, it should be borne in mind that Chinese characters are distinguished not only by the phonetic sounds, but also by tones resembling musical notes.
Of these only four are generally recognized in poetical compositions:
(1) The Ping-sheng, or low and even note.
(2) The Shang-sheng, or sharp and ascending note.
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