Literary Criticism · LT802

Poetry Talks

Aesthetic treatises and connoisseurial remarks analyzing poetic beauty and meters.

14works

4dynasties

7authors

Northern and Southern

420–5891 works
  1. Poetry Gradings · Preface · ExcerptZhong RongThe Primordial Qi stirs external objects, external objects move the human soul; thus human temperament is swayed and poured into dance and song. To illuminate the Three Powers, to shed radiance upon myriad existence, to offer sacrifice to ancestral spirits and grant immortality to subtle thoughts—nothing equals Poetry.

Tang

618–9076 works
  1. Twenty-Four Styles of Poetry · The Grand and MightySikong TuGreat function manifests outwardly, pure reality is packed within. Returning to void it enters primeval whole, accumulating vigor it attains mighty power. Encompassing all ten thousand things, surging across outer space. Boundless rolling clouds, vast echoing gales. Soaring beyond physical images, capturing the inner pivot of the circle.
  2. Twenty-Four Styles of Poetry · The Placid and SubtleSikong TuAbiding in simplicity and silence, wondrous subtlety works unseen. Imbibing Supreme Harmony, flying alone alongside a solitary crane. Gentle as dawn moonlight, crisp as autumn air. If one clings to external likeness, it slips away upon grasping.
  3. Twenty-Four Styles of Poetry · Elegant and ClassicalSikong TuBuying spring wine in a jade flagon, listening to rain from a thatched hut. Worthy companions in the circle, tall bamboos to left and right. White clouds clearing after rain, wild birds chasing one another. Rest a zither in emerald shade, with waterfalls cascading above.
  4. Twenty-Four Styles of Poetry · The Bold and UnrestrainedSikong TuViewing blooms that are no common lotuses, gulping oceans as mere sips of water. Heavenly gales blow tempestuous, sea-mountains loom azure and vast. Genuine spiritual power brims everywhere, all cosmic phenomena attend at the side. Summoning sun, moon and stars in front, leading the Phoenix behind; riding six giant turtles at dawn, washing feet in the cosmic Fusang tree.
  5. Letter to Yuan Zhen · ExcerptBai JuyiEssays should be written to address the times; poems and songs should be created to reflect actual events. Poetry has emotion for root, words for sprouts, sound for blossoms, and meaning for fruit. Above, to remedy and inspect state governance; below, to channel and voice human sentiments.
  6. Letter in Reply to Li YiHan YuVital Spirit (Qi) is like water; words are like floating objects. When the flood of water is immense, floating objects large and small all float naturally. Such is the relation between Qi and words: when Qi is abundant, words short or long and tones high or low all find natural harmony.

Song

960–12792 works
  1. Canglang Poetics · Discrimination of PoetryYan YuPoetry is the chanting of emotion and innate nature. High Tang masters relied purely on intuitive inspiration, like the antelope hanging by its horns leaving no tracks on the ground. Thus their wondrous beauty is transparent and crystalline, beyond mechanical contrivance—like music in the air, color in appearance, moon in water, image in mirror: words end, but meaning is boundless.
  2. Canglang Poetics · The Laws of PoetryYan YuLearning poetry has three requisites: Principle, Concrete Matters, and Conception. Applying effort has three paths: Reading, Refining, and Enlightening. The conception must be lofty, phrasing crafted, brushstrokes stable, and vitality robust.

Qing

1636–19125 works
  1. Suiyuan Poetics · Chapter I · Spirit & NatureYuan MeiA poet is one who never loses his child-like innocence of heart. Poetry expresses innate spirit and nature, not dry academic pedantry. When true emotion pours forth, splendid lines form naturally; expressing one's own unique spirit without bondage to rigid moulds.
  2. Poetic Remarks in the Human World · Theory of Jingjie / Aesthetic RealmWang GuoweiIn Ci lyric poetry, Jingjie (Aesthetic Realm) is of supreme value. When a work possesses Jingjie, it naturally achieves high style and produces immortal lines. It is precisely herein that the lyrics of the Five Dynasties and Northern Song remain peerless.
  3. Poetic Remarks · Realm with Self and Realm without SelfWang GuoweiThere is a Realm with Self, and a Realm without Self. 'Tearful eyes ask the flowers, but flowers answer not; red petals flutter past the swing'—this is the Realm with Self. 'Plucking chrysanthemums by the eastern hedge, serenely I behold the southern mountains'—this is the Realm without Self. In the Realm with Self, one views objects through the ego, so all objects take on subjective colors; in the Realm without Self, one views objects through objects, so one knows not what is self and what is object.
  4. Poetic Remarks · Three Stages of Scholarly & Human EndeavorWang GuoweiAll those through ancient and modern times who achieve great endeavors and grand scholarship must pass through Three Stages of Realm: First, 'Last night west winds withered green trees; climbing high towers alone, I gazed to the ends of the road'; Second, 'My robe grows loose day by day yet I have no regret, for her sake languishing into haggard sorrow'; Third, 'Seeking her in the crowd thousands of times, suddenly turning back, she stands right there where lantern lights are dim and waning.'
  5. Poetic Remarks · Obstructed and Unobstructed / Veiled and TransparentWang GuoweiIf asked the difference between 'Obstructed' (Ge) and 'Unobstructed' (Bu Ge)? I say: The verse of Tao Yuanming, Xie Lingyun, Li Bai, and Du Fu—not a single word fails to be natural and vibrant, which is called 'Unobstructed'. Viewing flowers through heavy mist or scratching an itch across boot-leather—this is called 'Obstructed'.