Classical Chinese Poetry - Essay Example

ical Chinese Poetry Poetry is one of the earliest forms of artistic literature practiced by different communities to educate the people and pass a desired message. Poetry among the Chinese people can be retraced from as 170BC to the present day, where literal techniques are used to communicate different messages within the community as well as to other parts of the world. Almost all of these texts have been gathered and classified chronologically according to their genres, forms and themes amongst other classifications. This has helped in the ease of identification of the poems as well as enabling swift classification for educational and other purposes. The classification into different anthologies has also helped in the growth of the art by enabling passage of knowledge and skills from one generation to the other (Liu, 98). The use of the courtship and marriage motif in Classical Chinese Poetry has a significance effect on the simplicity and timelessness of the poems. Traditionally, China has been a nation of renowned poets. Poetry from this nation has been held in a position of importance from the ancient times through to the twentieth century and beyond. Among the many factors that this form of art seeks to address in the society, include cultural, social and political amongst others. The unique nature of the classical Chinese poetry has enabled it to stand out from the rest, especially from the western poetry. In fact, this is considered the most beautiful poetry in the whole world. This beauty is expressed in the uniqueness of the poetry found in the use of language, literary devices as well as motifs. Such factors have enabled the classical Chinese poetry to so stand the test of time by incorporating timelessness in the issues and topics discussed as well as the motifs used. Some of these shall be highlighted in this paper. One of the most outstanding works of Chinese poets is the classical collection of poetry. Some poems contained in the classical Chinese anthology may date back to 1000 BCE or years before that. For example, an old poem, dating back as back as 621 BCE, can be pinpointed from the collection of classical Chinese poems. The Shih Ching, is a collection of more than three hundred poems and is identified as the earliest collection of Chinese poems. These pieces of art vary in length and styles because they are drawn from all the ranks of chinise poetry. Translated to English, Shih Ching, which is the title of the collection, is The Book of Songs. The commentator of the collection, Mao, gave these poems distinctive numbers which are still being used to date to identify the different poems contained in that classical collection. These poems were probably collected over a stretch of several centuries with most of them coming from the Zhou period in the 600 BCE. The worth of this classical collection is identified by its use in one of the Confucian Classics (Mair, 102). One of the outstanding traits of classical poetry in the Chinese community is that the poems are usually simple with surface meaning. This is to help the audience understand the message contained in these poems without having to go through complicated analysis or getting lost by the words used. This makes the Chinese literature stand out of the rest since most poets from the western world and Europe like using complicated literature. The culture that was created by Shakespeare and the Romantic poets amongst others had introduced a tendency amongst audience that poems do not depict any surface meaning or are probably a creation of genius men. This is in contrast with the Chinese poems which are inspired by the anonymity of Sih Ching and have created the impression that poems are created by common human beings for the other common people to understand. This has eliminated the complexity of hidden meanings and difficulty faced by other poem readers. Another outstanding feature of these classics is the order in which the lines are placed. Usually, there are lines of four syllables with endings that rhyme. In addition to this, the Chinese classics are also based on the principle of contrast. This is achieved by creating social or personal situations within the poems so that the reader can identify and relate to them. This creates a new awareness for the reader hence benefiting from the contrast created. Herein, the motif of courtship and marriage, which is found in many of these classical Chinese poems, shall be discussed. Most of the classical poems revolve around this motif with the variation of joys and sorrows of romance and everyday tribulations of love. Other motifs, which are also present in this Chinese anthology, include dynastic concerns and imagery. These, though worth mentioning, shall not be discussed in this paper. Courtship and marriage has developed in significant ways throu8ghout the centauries from the time when some of these poems were created to the present day. In spite of these developments, courtship and marriage has remained an integral part of the society for creation of continuity within a society and the human race at large. Courtships have been used over the centuries to give young people an opportunity to decide whether to marry a certain individual or not. It marks a point of maturity in one’s life as well as preparing them for marriage life. Marriage, on the other hand, gives the people who have already courted an opportunity to spend their lives together and practice the virtues and roles for continuity of life. Poems where the motif of courtship and marriage can be identified within the collection of classical Chinese poems include Fair, Fair, Cry the Osprey; Towards Evening, Unsteady is that Cypress Boat, Outside the Eastern Gate and Inch of Ashes: The East Wind Sighs. The first poem talks about the celebration of a royal marriage. The motif here helps in the identification of the importance of such an occasion through the creation of scenes and imagery that depict high standards, purity as well as royalty. It also identifies the role of each partner in the process of courtship and marriage by depicting one as the male bird and the other as the female bird. It brings out the meaning and significance of the royal marriage to the tow lovers as well as to the community at large. Royal families usually command a lot of respect from the common people and hence a royal wedding would attract a lot of attention from far and wide. It is for this reason that a royal marriage is celebrated with pomp and excitement. The second poem, Towards Evening, reveals the troubles and tribulations of the marriage institution. This poem is about an unhappy marriage within a certain community. With the simplicity in which this short poem is created, any audience is able to understand and relate to the situations created therein. Although there is simplicity in the length and surface meaning created in the poem, there is a depth of words left unsaid and that can only be brought about by proper understanding of the poem. There is a contrast created between the femininity and masculinity in the marriage institution. This is implied in the gender of the characters and the way their roles have been reversed. This motif brings out the meaning of the poems by identifying several common characteristics of people within a marriage. In this particular poem, the wife is ignored by the husband and left depressed. This lack of commitment and attention to one partner leaves the speaker to wonder why the husband has ignored his main responsibilities in the marriage. The fact that there is no normal or healthy sign of a good outcome within the marriage in this poem shows how this poet, as well as the others, chooses to approach life by creating situations that many people can identify with. In most of these poems, the choice of the poets to base their messages on the marriage institution shows the desire for their message to reach many readers. It also shows that marriage is an integral institution in the society and I issues affecting it affect the whole society at large. Therefore, the philosophical inclination of these poets is represented by this motif in that it enables them pass their message to their audiences through a way that is easy to understand and relate with. The desire of the poets’ to have their messages about family values and love be understood is helped by the utilization of this motif. Unless they use a simple language and situations that most people can relate to, the poets’ message would not be clearly understood. Therefore, since most audience can relate to this motif, the poets’ have the liberty to explore many literary devices to enable them pass their message well. This motif also enables excellent use of literally devices in all of these poems. For example, repetition is used in some of the poems such as Unsteady is that Boat. The use of repetition in these poems not only seeks to emphasize the important elements in the poems but also identifies a rhythm for oral performance of the poems. This creates a pattern with some parts of the poem being repeated hence making it suitable for it to be used as a song or for oral-formulaic purposes. There is also a close association of the motif with imagery in all the poems. This association is created easily since courtship and marriage are used to symbolize different issues in the society. For example, the poem Fair, Fair, Cry the Ospreys has excellent use of imagery where scenes from various biological natural scenes. These bring out a clear contrast with human experiences. In this particular poem, images of a male bird and a female bird are used in relation with the human society. Water mallows are also used in the poem as imagery to signify items that people in the community can identify with. The use of imagery is used in associated with the themes of the poems to bring out the motif of courtship and marriage. This is also interconnected with other literally devices such as personification and symbolism. All these are used in close association with this motif and are useful in creating a simple environment within the poems so that the audience can relate to them. The use of this motif between the different poets can also be used to show the personalities and social experiences of the poets. Most of these poets speak about experiences that they have undergone or have seen happen in the society. This, therefore, explains the difference in the use of the motif of courtship and marriage throughout the different poems. In some of the poems where the poets speak about breakups or sour relationships, it is clear that they have an experience of such occurrences either from their personal life or from observation within the society. This is also the case with poets who speak about royal marriages, as well as those who write poems on courtship. The effectiveness of this motif cannot be underestimated, especially with its significance in all these poems. Firstly, the effectiveness is seen in how the poets use the motif according to the period or time of writing the poems. Classical Chinese poetry dates centuries ago and hence the use of courtship and marriage as motif in the poems is relevant. This relevance can be observed in some of the poems where royalty is spoken about (Watson, 46). During the time when these poems were being written, royal families existed in almost every community. Therefore, poets would fine it relevant to include royal marriages in their poems in order to strike a level of relevance with the audience. In addition to this, courtship and marriage was a highly esteemed exercise during the period in which these poems were written. Therefore, it would only be relevant for the poets to them as a motif in their poems. The effectiveness of this motif is also evident in the nature in which the poems are created. The presence of the motif enables the creation of simple and easy to understand poem that everyone, irrespective of the century of the day, can relate to. This sense of timelessness has enabled these classic Chinese poems to stand the test of time over the centuries that they have existed. Since courtship and marriage does not fade away from the society, it has remained an integral and necessary exercise throughout generations. By using this motif, the poets not only address the generation in which they exist in, but also pass the message to all other future generations. This ensures preservation of family values as well as storage of history (Cai, 104). Poems normally have meanings beyond the words. To place such meanings not only shows the mastery of skills in a poet but also helps in the utilization of literally devices and figures of speech to pass the message in a desirable way. Although many poets from different parts of the world stretch this liberty to far and undeserving extends, the classical Chinese poets have remained true to the use of simple terms and passage of simple and clear meanings that the audience can easily understand. In the classical Chinese poetry discussed here, poets have used the motif of courtship and marriage to show preference for brevity and suggestiveness. These are features that, in addition to making the poem attractive, add to its simple understanding. In so doing, the poets’ show faith in that the reader shall be able to read and understand the poem without the worry of looking for deep or hidden meanings. When these poets use the art of meanings beyond the words, they do so with caution such that they only create situations that the reader can be able to infer the meaning. They achieve this through the association of the motif with literally devices such as symbolism, repetition, variation and natural imagery. When these devices are used, the poets also ensure that the reader is able to relate to them for easy inference. Symbolism and imagery, for example, are used in almost all the poems. These symbols and images are those that are related to the Chinese community and which the people can identify themselves with. The use of courtship and marriage as a motif in the classical Chinese poetry has a great significance to the literature of this country. This use has also enabled the Chinese tradition to stand out from the rest of the common traditions such as the western cultures. The use of the motif in the Chinese tradition therefore enables the creation of distinctive literature and poems from the western culture. With most western poets choosing to use motifs that are associated with complex language and hidden meanings, the Chinese poets have opted for the use of motifs that easily identify with the Chinese tradition (Yip, 84). Works Cited Cai, Zong-qi. How to Read Chinese Poetry: A Guided Anthology. New York: Columbia University Press, 2008. Print. Liu, Wuji. An Introduction to Chinese Literature. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press, 1990. Print. Mair, Victor H. The Columbia History of Chinese Literature. New York: Columbia Univ. Press, 2001. Print. Watson, Burton. Chinese Lyricism: Shih Poetry from the Second to the Twelfth Century. New York: Columbia University Press, 1971. Print. Yip, Wai-lim. Chinese Poetry: An Anthology of Major Modes and Genres. Durham: Duke University Press, 1997. Print. Read More