the fu of tao chien

8/13/2019 the fu of tao chien

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Harvard-Yenching Institute

The Fu of T'ao Ch'ienAuthor(s): James Robert HightowerSource: Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies, Vol. 17, No. 1/2 (Jun., 1954), pp. 169-230Published by: Harvard-Yenching InstituteStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2718131.Accessed: 29/07/2011 17:23

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THE FU OF T'AO CH'IENJAMES ROBERT HIGHTOWERHARVARDUNIVERSITY

T'AOCh'ien s famous s thegreatestyricpoetofChinabeforethe T'ang dynasty, nd his poemshave frequently een trans-lated.' With the exception f" The Return" , his rarecompositionsn thefuform are lesswell known hanhis lyrics,and justlyso. My purpose n offeringew translations f T'AOCh'ien's threefuis to showhowin each ofthemhe was writingin a well-establishedradition,nd to pointout the natureofhisachievementn" The Return,"where, ysubvertinghetraditionto his own ends,he made a conventional orm he vehicleforintensely ersonalexpression.The only one of thesefu which s dated is " The Return,"writtenwhenT'AO Ch'ienwas thirty and at thefullmaturityfhis poeticpower. The othertwo are almostcertainly arlier; tleast theyare avowedlywrittens poeticexercises, ariations nestablished hemes, nd should be approachedbyway ofthecon-ventions heyaccept and exploit. Of thesetwofu," Stilling hePassions" W' is morenearlya stereotype, nd it deals with athemewhichdoes not elsewhere ppear in T'AO'Spoetry. The" Lament forGentlemenBorn out of TheirTime" l14?A isequally conventional, ut is a topicwhichhe treatedfrequentlyin his lyrics nd whichwas apparentlymorecongenial. I shalltakethemup in order, eservingor ast " The Return."T'AO'Spreface to " Stilling hePassions" defineshenatureofhispoemand namestwo ofhismodels:'To those listed in HJAS 16 1953).0265-6 hould be added the recenit ublicationThe Poems of T'ao Ch'ien translatedby Lily Pao-hu CHANG and Marjorie SINCLAIR(University f Hawaii Press,Honolulu, 1953).'Following the lead ofHSIAo T'ung,who createda special category, Tz'u," forthisand one otherquite dissimilar omposition n the Wen hsiian,most translatorshavefailed to observethat this too is a fu.'According to Lu Ch'in-li's chronology,which I am following; f. HJAS 16.266,note 8.' Ching-chieh sien-shenghi 5.4b-5a. This and all subsequentT'AOCh'ienreferencesare to T'AOChu's edition s publishedby theChiang-suShu-chii, eferred o as Works.

169


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170 JAMES ROBERT HIGHTOWERFirst of all CHANG Heng wrote a fu " On Stabilizingthe Passions," andTs'AI Yung one " On Quieting he Passions." They avoided inflatedanguage,aiming chiefly t simplicity.Their compositions egin by givingfreeexpres-

sion to theirfanciesbut end on a noteof quiet, serving dmirably o restrainthe undisciplined nd passionate nature: they truly further he ends ofsalutary warning. Since their time, writers n every generationhave beeninspired o elaborateon the theme, nd in the leisureof my retirement havetaken up my brush to write in my turn. Granted that my literary skillleaves something o be desired, have perhaps not been unfaithful o theidea of those original uthors.Fragments of these two fu by CHANG Heng and Ts'AI Yungappear in T'ang encyclopedias nd commentaries, long with

severalothers ttributed o writerswho ived beforeT'AO Ch'ien.Though none s complete nd there s no guarantee f the authen-ticity f any of them, heywill erveto document he tradition nwhichhe clearly states he is writing. I am putting them inchronologicalequence.Stabilizing he Passions'CHANGHeng (78-139)Ah, the chaste beauty of this alluringwoman

5 Fi2;p Ch'iianHou-Han wen (CHHW) 053.9b S1 fiff> >~ J4). I refer o othercollectionsn this seriesunder the following bbreviatedtitles: Ch'iian Han wen: CHW; Ch'iian San-kuo wen: CSKIV; Ch'uan Chin wen:CCW; Ch'iian Sung wen: CSW. For Wen hsAian SPTK ed.), I am usingWII, andYTHY for Yil-t'ai hsing-yung.CHANG eng dealt with erotic themeselsewhere,n a part ofhis fu "Meditation onMystery" gtM (WVH 5.17a-b) and his "Seven Stimuli" -&, of which a frag-ment is quoted in CHHIW 55.2b-3a. In the latter he was of course following heconvention stablished n MEI Sheng's "Seven Stimuli,"whereall the pleasuresof theflesh re elaboratelydescribed o distract he ailing prince.

6 This is the stock opening ine of thesefu,and forconvenience shall bringthemall togetherhere, takingthe phraseology f CHANG Heng as the standard. Thus, abar indicatesthe same character n the-correspondingositionof CHANGHenlg's ine.Af iJM4* I CHANGHengIf I I SUNGYii (WH 19.9b)I I SE I Q* Ts'AIYung (CHHW 69.4b)

I II JIUANU (CIHHW 3.1a)|I| -;XX I 1wK WANG s'an (CHIIW 90.2b)I I Q I kG I YING Yanig (CHHW 42.1b)I I ] I IXEK Ts'AO Chih (CSKW 13.4a)I X$ I + T'AO Ch'ien (Works 5.5a)' i74 YANGHSiU (CHHW 51.1a)CHANGHua (CCW 58.1a)


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THE FU OF T'AO CH'IEN 171She shineswithfloweryharms nd blooming ace.She is unique amongall her contemporariesShe iswithout peeramongher comrades.The Complaint:

5 Antares' aysdecline,7nsects ing nthegrass,Deep frost alls,vegetationwithers;Autumn s theseason,the time s past:I am distraught s I think f the lovelyone.8I imagine might e the powder nyourface10 But 9once soiled bydust its radiance s gone."The title" Quieting hePassions" WR does notoccuramongthe surviving ragmentsf fu by TS'AI Yung, but thereare acouple of passagesfrom ne called " CurbingExcess" Wt deal-ing with hesame subject. Presumably his s the one T'AOCh'ienwas referringo."1)I(jAM: cf.Shih chingNo. 154: t-JI 6k "In the seventh monththere isthe declining ire-star (B. KARLGREN,The Book ofOdes 99).

8 These lines are from I-wen lei-chi (IWLC) 18.13a. The versesbeginningwith the "complaint" are probably out of proper context. The tone isthat of some of the sao poems,especiallythe first f the "Nine Persuasions IL 4(Ch'u tz'u 8.1b-3b SPTK ed.). One of the "Nine Declarations" )JL?' is called,W)t (CT 4.28a-31b).9 ,,: literally I am grievedthat.10These two lines are twicequoted by Li Shan in his commentary n WH 19.16b,34.29a. It is probablethat the conceitwas further evelopedin the lost partsof this

fu; cf. T'AO Ch'ien's version.I WLC 18.13a and T'ai-p'ing yii-lan (TPYL) 380.6b quote nine lines froma fuby Ts'AI Yung a N "On Composing he Original Nature?]"9 J whichappearsto be related o SUNG Yii'S " Goddess "**4 :When she is nearbyShe resembles he supernatural ragonwith shiningscales about to fly.When she has gone afarShe is like the SpinningGirl in theMilky Way sweptby clouds.When she standsShe is like GreenMountainrisingmajestically.When shemovesShe is like thekingfishereatinghis wings (cf." The Goddess" 1. 29);


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172 JAMES OBERTHIGHTOWERCurbing xcess 2Ts'AI Yung (132-192)

Ah, this ovelywoman ofalluring harmsHer face s radiant nd filledwith olor.Within ll Heaven's boundsshehas no equal,Throughout thousandyears she is unique.135 My heartrejoices nherchastebeautyAndI am boundto her n unrequitedove.My feelingsrewithout orm nd have no master.My thoughts re undecided nd swerve o one side.By day I givereign o myfeelingso displaymy ove.10 By night dependondreams o bring ursoulstogether."4I imagine being thevibrating eed 5 inyourmouth,But the notes are solitary16 and not worthlisteningto.'7

Putting a Stop to Desires 18JUANYU (?-212)

Ah, the exquisite beauty of this virtuouswomanHer face glows with radiance.19In a thousandgenerations he has no peer,Surpassing ncient nd modern, he shinesalone.??Amona all the flaming eauties she has no master.Her face is likethe brightmoon,Her radiance is like the morning un;Her beauty is like the lotus flower,Her flesh ike congealedhoney.12CHHW 69.4a.

13 ff)t: Cf. CHANG Heng, lines 3-4:gryjW 3i M14Quoted in IWLC 18.13a-b.1,5 ;isan inversion; f. Lu Yiin's " Poem on Behalf of Ku Yen-hsien'sA+Wife"TVII 25.5a):1 . e., unaccompanied.17 fW n These two lines are fromPez-t'angs`u-ch'ao (PTSC) 110.5b. Cf. CHANGHeng, lines 10-11:7 - ,

18 0A t0t,CHHW 93.1a-b.19 +05I@ ' : cf.Ts'AI Yung, ine2:20 M:: g E,fflf" cf.note 13.


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THE FU OF T'AO CH'1EN 1735 Justnow n thefirst lush fyouthShe is both wiseand complaisant.

Endowedwiththe bright irtue f perfect urityShe protectsherself y proper onduct.She wouldsacrifice er ifeto do theright hing10 And so is prepared o emulateChen-chiang.2My heartdelights n herperfect eauty,Not fora momentdo I everforget er.I think fthemarriage elebratedn the" T'ao-yao " poem 2And wishforthe sharedgarment fthe " Wu-i." 315 My feelings re all tangledand will notrelax.My soul soars away nine times n one night.24I leavemyroomand standuncertain,I look at theHeavenly Riverwithout bridge;5I sympathizewiththeGourdwhich acks a mate,2620 I mournfor heSpinningGirlwho toilsalone.27Then I return o mypillowto seeksleepThat through dreamoursoulsmay meet.28My soulismuddled,t is hard to findhers,

21Chen-chiangA was the wifeofKing Chao of Ch'u who refused o leaveher room with an emissary ent by the King to warn ;her of a flood because he hadforgotten he propercredentials.She chose to remainwhere she was and be drownedrather han violate an agreement he had made. The story appears in Lieh nii chuan4.16b. (SPTK ed.).22Shih ching No. 6/1: , "This young lady goes to hernew home. She will order well her chamber nd house" (KARLGREN, op. cit., 4).28Shihching No. 133/3: h. A ,A, H "How can you say you have noclothes? I will sharemy skirtwithyou" (KARLGREN, op. cit., 86).24 -_ -ffit. This commonxpressionccurs n "The NineDeclarations"(CT 4.21b), SSU-MIACh'ien's "Letter to JenAn" (WH 41.26b), as well as in twoother fu of the presentseries (YING Yang, line 40, T'AO Ch'ien, line 35), withonlyminor variants. The "nine " is of course a " complete number: " any number oftimes."26 J. ., the Milky Way; a reference o the SpinningGirl egend. Literally t is a fordwhich s lacking.28 The Gourd is a star. TS'AOChih in his fu "The Spiritof the Lo River" (WH19.18b) also bemoans ts solitary tate: R.% ;L$ftfi; likewiseWANG Ts'an in hisfu "Climbing the Pavilion Z$d (WH 11.3a-b): ;t21 See note 25. The SpinningGirl is ubiquitous in Chinese poetryfrom the Shihching (No. 9203/5) n.28 ,; fjjv iIZl: cf.TS'AI Yung, ine10: t fP .


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174 JAMES ROBERT HIGHTOWERMy thoughts re tangled nd confused.25 At last the night s past, nor have I seenher;The rising un in the east marksthe dawn.I know willnot get her forwhom longAnd so I controlmy feelings n writing his.29I stopand stretchmy head to see into the distanceHoping t maybe she, but still t is not.30

StillingEvil Passions3WANG s'an (177-217)Ah, this beautifulwoman of blooming ovelinessHer form s truly ovely and of rarebeauty.Nowherewithin he four eas has she an equal,Surpassing ll ages she standsout pre-eminent.325 She resembles hespring lowers f thet'ang-ti ree.33In heryoungmaturity he staysat home.34I regrethattheyear s drawing o a close,Grievedto be alone with no one to relyon.My feelings re conflictingnd at cross-purposes,10 My thoughts remelancholynd mostgrieved.35

29From IWLC 18.14a.30 Repeatedly quoted in Li Shan's 1V11 commentary: 926.15a, 9.30a, 58.7a. Thetwenty-eightines quoted in IWLC seem to make a satisfactory oem which containsmost of the stock elementsof these fu, and there s no place in its rhyme-schemeo

admit this couplet. Of course twenty-eightines is very short for a fu, and there isroom for a long digression after line 16, where the rhyme changes) of which thiscouplet ouldwellbe a part. I have translatedhe ambiguousp --^JJffi as areferenceo the ;If[ | of Han Wu-ti; f.Han shu97A.14a T'ung-wend.).31 3 I$lJR, CHHW 90.92b. hetitle s fromhe ching.S2 L,-A M 9i2&Rb I?4 :cf. notes 13, 920.334: variously dentified s a kind of plum and as the amelanchier siatica,also a floweringree. Cf. the tanza uoted nAnalects/30 | Z4,0fIg J"WOf,iL ;M, tEljjajJ " The floweryranch fthe wildcherry,How swiftlytfliesback / It is not that I do not love you; / But your house is far away" (WALEY,The Analects of Confucius 145).3'. e., unmarried. The ju-shengrhymes nd here,and I suspect there is a hiatusin the text. The unannouncedchange of subject in the next line is otherwise atherabrupt.86;gt Z IS f cf. TS'AIYung,ines -8:I'Afh fiEj ; also JUAN Yii, lines 15, 24: FI., XZ


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THE FU OF T'AO CH'IEN 175How miserablemylife s fatedto be-My love frustratednd thwarted.I crossmyemptyroomand go to mybed,3"Intending ur souls should meet n a dream.3715 My eyesarewakeful, cannotsleep,38My heart s miserable nd uneasy.39Mountains ie ahead ofme and theway is obstructed.4"I would iketo be thebracelet hat bindsyourarm.4

RectifyinghePassions2YING Yang (?-217)

Ah, theunusualbeautyof this ovelywomanComplaisant he is, and wiselyunderstanding.In response o supernatural armony ersubstancewasformed:She embodies he ushbeautyof theorchid nd thepurityof asper.5 Among beauties f]past timerarely qualed,In present ime nonecan comparewithher.43Like thefar-reachingaysemitted y themorning un 4The clear glance poursout fromhereyes.In herblooming eautyshe crowns urtime10 And is just as virtuous s thatwomanofShen.45

' g: lit., " a mat," but used fora bed.97 tffip1Xt cf.note 28.88 0 XMX fi4 -: cf. "The Distant Wandering" R (CT 5.1b):A*J"* also Shih chingNo. 26/1: WJf6 .9 To here quoted in IWLC 18.14b.40 From Li Shan's com. on WH 26.10a.41 iA>WV lJ;JTJ : fromPTSC 136.8a,with) for $ in thetitle. YEN K'o-chunis right n calling t a misprint.Cf. note 17.42 , iJIrMg, CHHW 42.1b-2a.49 tt;>,ftt>W+Xt>#IJ: cf. notes13,20,32.44 the trope is actually more violent: "She emits the far-reachingrays of the morning un." Whether his is the radianceof herbeauty or theeffect f her glance (as I have taken it) is not clear.46 The " Woman of Shen" E** refused to marrythe man she was eligaged to


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176 JAMES ROBERT HIGHTOWERIn nmy eart rejoice n thatrarebeauty 6And longfor he oy of being oinedwithher,but there s

no way.47Overwhelmed ythefragrant eautyofhermodestdemeanorMy feelings ance aroundthiswoman.15 My soul fluttersnd goes on its nightlywandering,I rejoice hatourspiritsmaybe united na common ream.48In daytime lingerhesitantby theroadside,At night tossrestless ntilthedawn.49A cool windblows from he north crossthe dark wall5020 A cold breezecrossesthe middle court.5'I hearthehighcryofthewild goose n the clouds,I view the sparkling ays of the massedconstellations.The lightoftheSouthern tar descends ike lightning,52The lonelymale birdflies wiftly nd alone.25 I hoped [the bird]might ower ts head to send me word,Alas [the star] speeds past and cannotbe overtaken.It grievesme that the passingbirdhas no mate,54I am sorry hat the flowingight annotbe stayed.

because the ritual preparationswere imperfect.The Shih ching poem (No. 17) issupposed to expressher resolution.Cf. Lieh niuchuan 4.1b-2a.46 *j6ffitX: cf.TS'AI Yung, line 5: ').WftfiJ*R: i.e., no intermediary.f. Ts'AO Chih's"Spiritof the LoRiver": % lMJ8 t (WH 19.17b).48 - tMff~Joi4: f.notes 8,37.49 2 R @ cf.note38.60t~J~:I can find o other ccurrencefthisterm.61The text eems o be defectivet thispoint, orJff oes notrhyme ith itherthepreceedingnorthefollowingeirhymes. 'angmaybe a misprint,utthetermtp I occurs n anotherfYINGYang's fu,"The Willow 7Mi,I; cf.CHHW 42.4a.5When theSoutherntarappears, hewayto thesouth s open;cf. Shihchi27.9a

(T'ung-wened.), SSU-MA Chen's com. (11EA). Perhaps the same idea as in Tu Fu'spoem Of ji): " TheSoutherntar['s ays] all ntheoldgarden. know or urehe willmeet . . ." (Works 19.15b, SPTK ed.).'3For - IWLC writes, a misprint.6' ?jt2t 3P: for t IHWLCas E . m is a misprintor j^; cf.JUANYU,line 9: % a; tA.


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THE FU OF T'AO CH'IEN 177Too bad the uckyconjunction is just now past,30 I regret hat mydesires re all thwarted.I pace undecided, ostin thought,My feelings re painedand distressed.56I return o mylonelyroomand go to bed withoutundressing7I keep tossing nd turningwithout eingable to rest.35 My soul flies far, inking nd soaring,Constantly welling nher n whom rejoice.58I lookup at thehighbuilding and sigh ongMoved by sad echoes, lingeringmoanescapes me.My breath, loating,eaps up to the cloud-house0My bowels n one eveningburnninetimes.6'I imaginemyself o be the brightmirror eforeherBut once gone. ...62

" For fR cf.Tso chuan (Hsi 5): I-ftM |: " [The star]Wei of the[constellation]Dragon lies hid in the conjunctionof the sun and the moon" (LEGGE 146). This iscited as a good omen,and I have paraphrasedfitch'en as "lucky conjunction."" Lines 21-32 depend for their effect n an elaborate structure nd an involvedsymbolism.The wildgoose is the traditional earerof a miiessagerom n absent friendor lover, and a bird is a symbolical ntermediaryn the "Li sao." A solitarybird isone withouta mate, and so represents he poet frustratedn his effort o marrythebeautiful woman. Stars are inaccessible, nd so a symbol for the unattainable ovedone; they also mark the passage of time. Time appears in two aspects: the poetgrows old and there is no end to his sorrow; also, the fleeting pportunity assesirrevocably.These themes are interwoven. Lines 21-24 involve a sort of chiasmus, bird-star:star-bird.The first ouplet mplies naccessibility,he second givespromise f transientopportunity. ines 25-28 shuffle he symbols nto a new sequence,bird-star:bird-star,and assert that the opportunity as passed. Lines 29-30 lament passing time and lostopportunity, hile31-32 deal with the resulting tate of mind.57For 4$mcf. Shih chingNo. 197/2.'5For j read as in CH'EN Lin, line 24.G9 occurs as the name of a temple,but here it should be the name of aconstellation, hough can findno supportfor that interpretation.60 @2g, parallelto ch'unghsia (see note59), is analogousto j , in the Chieh-y0iPAN'S fu "Lament for Herself L L T[ (CHW 11.7a).'1 gi-4'ifji)L : cf.note 24. This much s quoted in IWLC 18.14b-15a.62 ElstIJ "" X a t+". . . This couplet fromPTSC 136.2a islackingone word. Cf. notes 22, 46.

12


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178 JAMESROBERT HIGHTOWERPuttinga Stop to Desires 3

CH'EN Lin (?-217)Lovely thesurpassingwomanwho ives totheeast ofnmyhouse.64Her beauty outshines hespring lowers,Her charms urpassthoseofthewoman nthe " Shih-jen"poem. 5In antiquity herewere fewto equal her5 Today she s indeedwithoutmatch.66Trulyshe is oneto benefit state or bring rder o ahousehold,Indeeda propermate for prince.67How my feelings o takedelight n herMy desires re overflowingnd uncontrolled.10 At night am restless nd unable to sleep,68By day I push aside myfood,forgettingunger.I ammovedat the" If you ove me" ofthe" Pei-feng"poem,Andadmire hegoinghome hand in hand.69May the sun andmoon moveslowly n their ourses 0

63 1 LiP, CHHW 92.1a-b.64 Both " The Lechery of Master Teng-t'u (WH 19.12b) and " The HandsomeMan" (Ku wen yian, [SPTK ed.] 3.11b) locate the beautiful eductress n the housenext doorto the east. Cf. also Mencius 6B/1: " Would you climbover the wall of thehouse next door to the east and abduct the virgin iving there?"65 ShihchingNo. 57/2:Her hands like tender shoots,Her skin like congealed ard,Her neck like insect arvae,Her teeth like melon seeds;Cicada head, moth eyebrows.Her artful mile is red,Her lovely eyes clear and black.66 )Ditii'4t3fS, i12St 1 I: cf. notes13,20, 32,43.t1 Tktk& : cf. Shih chingNo. 189/5:tJ44 .68 IRMOJ? cf. notes 38, 49.60 For JA ead 4t with WLC. The " Pei feng poem is Shih chingNo. 41: X4 t&I-IJ] g "If you are affectionatend love me, I will hold your hand andgo home with you" (KARLGREN, op. cit., 27).

70tH2 X cf. "Li sao,' line 9: L tVFi (CT 1.7a). I do notunderstand he hu.


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THE FU OF T'AO CH'IEN 17915 So that the eafless oplarmayput forth prouts.7"

I would ike to speakto theswallow,But the swallowflies way, darting p anddown."2The way s distant, he roadis blocked,73The Riveris broadand deep,there s no bridge.7420 I standon tiptoe,wishing o advance,But it is nota river han can be crossed n a reed."5I loosenthe reins nd go back home,Filled withgrief, go tomycouch.Withoutundressing closemyeyes,76 nd seemat onceto sleep,25 I dream hat see her n whom rejoicewalking owardme.My soul floats wayto myfar-offove,As thoughwe wereunited and our spiritsmingled.""

StillingThoughtsof Love 71Ts'AO Chih (192-232)Ah,the elegant harms f thisbeautifulwoman

71 I.e., that the poet may still in his old age get a young bride; cf. I chingNo.28 (JL-): i#0t ,*i4Hjz "The leafless oplarputsforthprouts;an old man gets his bride."72 This couplet,quoted by Li Shan (WH 31.12a) is insertedhereby YEN K'o-chiin.It would fit the rhyme-scheme etter if it followed ine 10 ( j& rhymes), but itmakes a little bettersense in the presentcontext. The idea of a bird intermediarygoes back to the " Li sao "; in thesepoems it is usuallythe wildgoose (cf.YING Yang,line 25) or thephoenix (T'AO Ch'ien, ine31), and the term-2,4-; has been identifiedwithall threebirds. For the swallow anidmarriage, f. Li chi (SPTK ed.) 5.4b: ij73 j'jJ12 .J : cf. WANG Ts'an, line 17: PA j4 l; also " The NinePersuasions" (CT 8.11a): W - .74 Mf : cf. ibid., (CT 8.8a): W f Uff; also the "Lament fortheUntimely ate " (CT 14.2a): -75 P fif4Jie: cf. Shih ching No. 61/1: rj ;/ "Whosays the River is broad? A single reed crosses it." This is a frequentsource of

allusion,e. g., IHsi K'ang's " Verses forhis Elder Brother,"No. 9, Hsi Chung-sanchi1.2b (SPTK ed.).71 have translated IIMas analogousto the chia mei of note 57.TTxt6glg 'M 5i : cf. YINGYang, line 15: jJ aM, and notes28, 37, 48. Except for ines 15-16 (note 72) thispassage is fromTVLC18.13b.


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180 JAMES ROBERT HIGHTOWERHer rosyfaceshineswith impid ight.Surpassing ndunique, he s without peer,79So outstanding,n truth, one can equal her.5 By natureperspicacious nd intelligent0In conduct racious1 and charming.I hide where hehighpeak obscures he sun,I standbesidethepurecurrentfthe impid tream.The autumnwindrises n thewoods,82

10 Lost birdscryas they eektheirmates.Melancholy nd ladenwithgrief,mysorrows thegreater,How can I go on like this? 3

This by no means exhauststhe listof fu written efore 'AoCh'ien's time on the subjectofstilling hepassions,but no morethanthe titles nd a line or two survive fFu Hsiian's " Straight-ening the Passions," 4 CH'ENG-KUNG Sui's " Assuagingthe Pas-sions, 5 orYPAN Shu's RectifyinghePassions."6 P'o Ch'in'sBringing orrowto an End 87 is not dissimilar, ut followsslightly ifferentattern n the twenty-sixines which survive,and the same is true forthe twenty-threeines of CHANG ua's" Eternal Love," 88 while Juan Ch'i's "Purifying Thoughts ofLove " is an effectivearodyof the whole dea."sa.8 ; CSKW 13.4a.79-8 tMUXE cf. notes13, 20, 32, 43, 66.80J[t%,n ,E. cf.JUAN Ui, ine6: ijtffP- I withaP s i81 4W isnotattested lsewhere. he word )"is to be equated inthe similar xpressions 1 f ; cf.CHUCh'i-feng, z'u t'ung (abbreviatedTT) 1967.82 r4 takes on no especial overtones from its three Shih ching occurrences.Perhaps the associationwith" spring eelings in HlSIEH T'iao's poem ( -,-JS) is relevent Ku shihyiian 12.5a, SPPY ed.): .83 From IWLC 18.15a-b.84 f^i (217-278), ,'I'r CCW 45.4b.85 ; (231-273),pAFCCW 59.4a.88 i09 (408-453), iEl['r CSIV 44.1a-b.87 k (?-218), qffJ, CHHW 92.8a-b. P'o Ch'in also wrote a shih "SettlingthePassions" 'W (Ch'iian San-kuo shih 3.13a-b).88 , (232-300), 7I'If CCW 88.1a-b.88 a jWJU% CSKW 44.10a-llb. It concludes,If themyriad henomenaf


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THE FU OF T'AO CH'IEN 181So far have yetto quote an integral pecimen fa fuon thissubject,but already its whollyconventionalnature should be

apparent. As one readsT'AO Ch'ien'sversion, he impression fdejavue growswitheach couplet. It is perhapsgoingtoo far-toimagine hatevery ine had itsprototypen theoriginal ompletetexts of thosefu which time has mercifullyestroyed r left nhackneyedfragments,ut surelyT'AO Ch'ien was not strivingfororiginalityn hisversion.89Stilling he Passions

Ah, the preciousrareand lovelyformShe standsout uniquein all theage.90Thoughhers s a beauty thatwouldoverthrow city 1She intends o be knownforhervirtue.5 In purity he rivalsher soundingpendant ades 92In fragrancehe vieswiththehiddenorchid.93She disowns enderfeelings4amongthe vulgarAnd carriesherprinciplesmong thehighclouds.She grieves hat themorningundeclines o evening510 That human ife s a continual triving.96All alikediewithin hundredyears

the world do not entangleone's heart,/How is a singlefemaleworthbeiing n lovewith?" i &+L A128 Works5.5a-7a. Previous translations f this fu are: Anna BERNHARDI," GrosseOde zur Beruhigungder Leidenschaften," MSOS 15 (1912).105-9. LIN Yutang, " Ode

to Beauty," A Nun of Taishan and other Translations (Shanghai, The CommercialPress, 1936) 240-6. Dryden Linsley PHELPS and Mary Katherine WVILLMOTT, " Odeto Restrainthe Passions by T'AO Ch'ien," Studia Serica 7(1948).55-62. Lily Pao-huCHANG and Marjorie SINCLAIR, "Ode to Beauty," op. cit., 113-16.90'IOr t, 3 cf.notes13, 20, 32, 43, 66, 79.91A reference o Li Yen-nien'ssong: -ffi9A.JA 4)ffiflAAJ "One glancewouldoverthrow city,A secondglancewouldoverthrow state" (Han shu97A.13a).92 Themselves symbol of purity; f.Li chi 9.9a.3 The 1 alsosymbolizesurity;f. "Li sao," ines105,136.94For f_pk cf. CHANG Hua's fu 7jCJ, line 4: ' | | "In herheartshehas the tenderfeelingsof a well brought-upyoung lady" (Li chi 8.26a); cf. alsoTs'AO Chih's " Spiritof the Lo River": | (WH 19.16b).9 Obsession withthe passage of time is characteristic f thesefu; cf. CHANGHeng,lines 6-9; WANG Ts'an, line 7; YING Yang, line 28; CH'EN Lin, line 14; and note 20.It goes back to the " Li sao."


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182 JAMES ROBERT HIGHTOWERHow few our joys, the sorrowshow manyShe raisesthe redcurtain and sitsstraight,Lightlyplaying he clear-soundingither o expressherfeelings.9815 She plays a lovelymelodywithherslender ingers,As herwhite leeves sweepand sway n time.A swift lancefrom er ovelysparkling yes-Uncertainwhether o speak or smile.99The melody s half played through

20 And the sunis sinking t the westernwindow.The sad autumnmode"Oechoesthrough he woodsAndwhiteclouds clingto themountain.She glancesup at Heaven's road,10'She looks downand tightens he strings.25 In spirit nd behavior he is charming,Her attitudesare altogetherovely.1029a -0 cf. " The Distant Wandering,"ine 10: a I I (CT 5.2a).97Cf. CHANGHua's poem IEJ @ MCh'iian Chin shih2.4a):g "Red curtains overing ike clouds." These are a part of the furnishingsof an emperor's oat.98 Cf. CHANGHua's "Love Poem ' i (Yiu-t'aihsin-yung .10b): 4tJ\,+M",,% "In the norththere s a beautifulwoman,/Who sits straight sshe plays her sounding ute." On the properattitudeforplayingthe lute cf. R. VANGULIK,"The Lore of the ChineseLute," MN 2(1939) .90, 93. By analogy the cither(se) is to be played with the same formality.REX?I"i,i - idThY. T'AO Chu has K for fEIpresumablybecause of the Shih ching ine -fi34 (No. 57/2). However, iu mienis a clichein similarcontexts;e. g., CHANG Heng's " Seven Stimuli (CHHTW 53.3a): jFor parallels to this couplet cf. "The Lecheryof Master Teng-t'u :i I (WH 19.14a); JUAN hi's " Sorrowful ongs " No. 2:_5t 25: (YTIIY 2.7b). The pu fen s not clear. Seitan (Kokuyakukambun taisci18.264) suggests "is not angry."100The shang j mode corresponds o autumn: i ,..Z| (Li chi5.14b). Cf. P'AN YO'S "Lament for a Dead Friend" No. 2: , (YTHY2.13b): "The clear shang mode is in consonancewiththe autumnseason."

X f in the many examples cited in P'ei-wen yiin-fu(PWYF) means either"the road to Heaven " or " the Way of Heaven " (XR-6). In T'AO'S poem " TheHomingBird" ,p (Works 1.17a) the termoccurs as " a path through he sky"whichthe bird follows s it navigatesthrough he clouds.I02 g?44jf cf.TS'AOChih,ine6: 4 ITfJAX31.


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THE FU OF T'AO CH'IEN 183I am moved as she quickensthe clearnotes' tempoAndwish o speakwithher,kneetoknee.I wouldgo in person o exchangevows,30 But I fearto transgressgainsttherites.I wouldwait for hephoenix oconveymyproposal 03But I worry hat anotherwillanticipateme.'04In uncertaintyfmind nddiscomposureOaMy soul in an instant s ninetimes ransported.'06

35 I would ike to be thecollarof yourdress 07And breathe the lingering ragrance f yourflower-adornedhair.108But 109t nightyou take yoursilkendressoff-How hateful utumnnights hat never nd.I would ike to be thegirdle f your kirt40 Andbindthemodest lender ody.But as weather hanges, ool orwarmThe old is cast aside,thenew put on.I would ike to be thegloss on yourhairAsyoubrush ut thedark ocksover loping houlders."1045 But all too often ovelywomenwashtheirhair

103 As in the " Li sao," line 122. Cf. note 47.104 @)f11A} . CHi'fCUuanwas imilarlyoncerned: ("Li

sao," line 122). The line also appears in Lu Chi's fu "On Literature,"with )DI fork'ung.105 Cf. rWANGTs'an, line 10.106 s >QjjYf}t:jX: cf.notes24,61.107 fiz7ffjf-fj lit., I would ike to be on yourdress, pecifically he collar."This same formula s continued n the followingtanzas. Cf. notes 17, 41, 62.105 - ordinarilymeans "white hair," but obviouslyanothersense is demanded1)Xhepresent ontext. Seitan,op. cit., 267, understanidsflower-like ace" (V LD iHt?J); likewiseCHU Ch'i-feng TT 2811), but the t suggests "hair" as morelikely.100 "4t alas." Here and in the following have reducedthe stock lamernto thesimple contrast.1:10i . That slopingshoulderswere already an attributeof feminine eauty issuggestedby the line in Ts'AO Chih's "Spirit of the Lo River : IMMA n,D,, " Shoulders s thoughfashionedby cutting, waist as thoughbound by cord"(IVH 19.16a).


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184 JAMES ROBERT HIGHTOWERAndit is leftdry111 hen hewater eaves.I would iketo be yourpenciled yebrowTo movegracefully ithyoureyesas you glancearounld.But rougeand powdermustbe fresh pplied 1250 And it is destroyed s youmakeup yourfaceanew.l"aI wouldliketo be the reed that makesyourmat 14Onwhichyourestyour ender odyuntilfall.But then robe ffur15 willtake tsplace:A yearwillpass before hemat is used again.16

55 I would iketo be the silkthatmakesyour lipperTo pressyourwhitefootwherever ou go.But there s a timeforwalking nd a timeforrest:The shoes alas are thrown eside yourbed.1115 is ratherviolent for the result ofwashing,but current hampoo and hair

tonic advertisements re quite as extreme n theirwarnings f what happens to hairwashed too frequently ithoutbenefit f theirpanaceas.112 j,f^ lit.," one esteemsfreshness in makeup]." Cf. " A Mistress to Her Lover"Z#EEXBJk' by Liu Hsiao-ch'o JIJ t9& (cited in IJWLC18.8a; cf. Ch'iian Lianyshih10.19b): A + L i 3:>UQAfter ying ong abed I suspect my makeup is goneAnd I steal a glance at myself n the mirror;My thin-penciledyebrowshave just about disappearedAnd of the rouge only half remains.

"34~j~ is makeup for a festive ccasion; cf.Nan Ch'i shu (T'ung wen ed.) 53.1b:7tUc,t*,E+ffi ... PIR,fi,4f Y,EeXt A I IV Ef"J.7XZFU,f*tf.?Rt F1 J;),. t . "Duringtheten-odd ears f theYung-mingperiod (483-94), the cities flourishednd youngmen and womenwereprosperous.Singing nd dancing,dressed n theirbest and with faces carefullymade up, hundredsof them disportedthemselves mong flowering each trees or by the clear streams,under the autumn moon or in the springbreeze."

114)&4E jiAJ$ ~ Perhaps this is borrowed from CHANG Heng's "Song ofHarmony" 4f (YTIIY 1.Ila): .W gJjf, E IJ-t "I imaginemy-self to be the reed mat/ Coveringtho softbed beneathyou." But here a wonmansspeaking.115 For 4 J cf. Shih chingNo. 128/1: I "Striped floor-matsnd pro-trudingwheel-naves (KARLGREN, op. cit. 82). In the present ontext herecan be noquestionof a floor-mat n a carriage. Cf. the similar use in the CHANG Hua poemquoted in note 97."' ,* lit., "be soughtout."


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THE FU OF T'AO CH'IEN 185I would iketo be yourdaytime hadow60 To cleave to yourbody always, o go east orwest.But tall treesmakeso muchshadeAt times, fear,we couldnot be together.117I would ike to be yournighttimeandleTo shine on your ade-likeface n yourroom 1865 But withthe spreading ays 19ofthe rising un 20My light t once goes out,mybrilliance clipsed.I would ike to be thebamboothatmakesyourfanTo dispense coolingbreezefromyourtenderhand.But morningswhenthewhitedew falls70 I must ookat your leeve21 fromfar.I would ike to bethe woodofthe wu-t'ungreeTo make the singingute youhold on yourkneesBut music, ike oy,whenmost ntense urns ad 122

"' The shadow-lover conceitappears in a poem attributed o Fu isisuan (217-78)in YTIIY 9.8a, but to CH'E Ts'ao 4-{. (Liang dynasty) in Yileh-fu hih-chi 9.1a,so it is not certainwhether he conceit s earlierthan T'AO Ch'ien. The relevant inesof the poem ( i1{i-, a yiieh-fu itle) are (in the YTHY text):4, +,sg>fiQ tti+ Xfi, "I would iketo be the shadow hatfollowsyour body,/But when you are in the shade your shadow disappears. Thatyou stay in the light s what I wish."118 Besides the occurrence f j4 in ritual contexts (Li chi 2.10b, 19.1b) where

it means " two pillars -presumably of the main hall-the expressionturns up inone of Ts'AO Chih's untitledpoems (YTHY 2.4a): ipzjiI I " I take up my clothes and go out of the small gate,/ And walk idly between thetwo pillars." The "two pillars" seem to be outside, but in T'AO Ch'ien's fu thecontext calls for an interior cene, specifically bedroom, though I can find nosupportfor uch a metonymy."l Forrf3j cf."The Goddess" (WH 19.9a): f JJ11 | "Bright sthe full moon spreading ts rays."20; R is metonoymy or" rising unl ; the sun rises from he fit-sangree.

121 Where a fan is kept inlhot weather.1224tg288a1agcf. Fu Hsuian's yiieh-fu 0)r (YTHY 2.9b) Q.S>g;R;MM g42 ri "Sorrow and joy are close connected, /When joy is mostinitense ne turns sad." The idea is an old one and is quoted as a "saying" inShih chi 126.3a: iNWH'JIL9MikJRi . The pun on music/ joy is also wellestablished;cf. the punning definitionn Hsiian-tzu 4.1a (SPTK ed.):, "Music is joy."


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186 JAMES ROBERT HIGHTOWERAnd in theend I am pushedaside as you playno more.75 Put to thetestmywishes re all frustrated23And I feelonly the desolation f a bitterheart.Overcomewithsadness, nd no one to confiden,I idlywalk to thesouthernwood.124I restwhere he dewstill hangson themagnolia 2580 And take shelterunderthe lingeringhadows of thegreenpines.On thechance shouldsee her as I walkI am torn nmy breastbetweenhope and fear.To theend all is desolate,no one appears 26Leftalone withrestless houghts, ainly eeking.85 Smoothingmy ight apel 27 Jreturn o thepathContinually ighing s I watchthesetting un.Withstepsuncertain, estination orgotten28Dejected in bearing, ace filledwithgrief.Leaves leave the branch nd flutterown 2990 The air is biting s coldcomeson.The sun disappearsbearing ts rays

12 j,fijfiff i4fi : cf. YING Yang, line 30: R ?i iS; WANG TS'an,line 12: R. X jft .124 #j occursin WVu-Yiiehh'un-ch'iu .43a (SPTK ed.) as the name of a placewhere a maiden lives who is an expert with the sword and lance. Usually it is anortherngrove4t I in contexts ike the present one; e. g., Ts'AO Chih's yileh-fupi, (YTI Y 2.5a): 'f 1 4Li4Z Going outsidewhereshall

I look? / I walk uncertainlyowardthe northern rove."122 gg?"n>-12Ag cf. "Li sao," line 33 (CT 1.12b) i.JR* tS" Mornings sip the dew hangingfrom he orchids."126 WZIA W cf."The DistantWandering"CT 5.7a): ,iA -" The plain is desolate,no one there."127 I am not sure what the significancef this gesture s. tOK usually occurs incontextswhere the ch'inghas immediaterelevance, s a lightgarmentblownby thebreeze (e. g., Ts'AOChih, * , YTHY 2.4b). Here it could be intended o suggestpoverty-a lightgarmentwhen the season requiresa warmone, but the similar useofthewholeexpressionZ in a fu " AutumnSorrow" bkf hy CH'U Yuan 4j{J

(Ch'iian Ch'i wen 14.1b) suggests ha.t he ch'ing s simply part of a cliche, and thegesture tself s equivalentto " withwhat composure could summon."128 ?LR: cf.YING Yang, ine31: 999tV A,>.129 't occurs n a similarontextn oneofCHIANG Yen'suntitledoemsR(WH 31.22b): | | yg CHU Ch'i-feng TT 2767) listsa groupof similarbinoms.


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THE FU OF T'AO CH'IEN 187The moonadornsthe cloudfringes ith ight.Withsad criesthesolitary irdflieshome,130Seeking ts matean animalpassesand does notreturn.95 I am sorry hatthepresentyear s in its declineI regret hat thisyeardrawsto a close.131Hopingto followher nmy nighttimeream,132My soul is agitatedand findsno rest; 33Like a boatmanwho has losthisoar,100 Like a cliff-scalerhofindsno handhold.JustnowThe winter onstellations34 shineat my windowThe northwindblowschill.I am agitatedand unableto sleep,133Obsessedbya hostoffancies.105 I rise and tie mysash to await themorning,Deep frost listens n the whitesteps.'36The cockfoldshis wings nd has yet to crowWhilefrom farfloats he shrill ad noteof a flute.At first harmony fdelicatestrains,110 At last it becomespenetrating nd sad.'37

R30,4" %gg: cf.Ts'AO Chih,ine10 and note54.131 ,t+2Sg ,RffiAta: cf. WANGTs'an, line7: 't+Z:yg.132 W cf. notes 28, 37, 48, 77.133j$g$fR ifjf>f%: cf.YINGYang, ines 4-5: " + T X IRJ; also note 77.134 $. and X7pare two fall and winter onstellations Hyades and Pleiades) whichrise towarddawn; cf. CH'EN Tzu-ang, " Commemoration f a Banquet at His Excel-lencyHsieh'sMountain avilion" * 514I : 3K1i ff | (Ch'enPo-yui wen chi [SPTK ed.] 7.13b). Cf. also SSU-MA Hsiang-ju's " Ch'ang-men fuI I fiI I (WH 16.14a).135 jI"j 4i cf. notes38, 68; also CHUANG Chi nLg( "Lament for theUuitimely ate" &E#f (CT 14.1b): . For the variantorthogra-phies of the binom, f. TT 1555.136 Cf. CHANGHeng, line 6.137 . This alliterativebinom (anc. dz'&ng dz'u&i) is used as an onomatopoeiafor sad sounds (g'af"iij I |, of the fullingblock in FEI Ch'ang's ftTftJoem inYTHY 6.10a). The same characters n reverseorderoccurfrequently or sad animalcries (e. g., the crane in CHIANG Hung's poem in Ch'ilan Liang shih 12.11b; the horsein the anonymous Poem forCHIAOChung-ch'ing'sWife YTHY 1.19b), and probablyform n equivalentterm.


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188 JAMES ROBERT HIGHTOWERI imagine hat it is sheplaying here38Conveyingherlove by thepassingcloud-The passingclouddepartswithnevera word,139It is swiftn its passingby.140115 Vain it is to grievemyselfwith onging,In theendthewayis blockedbymountains nd crosse(iby rivers.'14I welcome he freshwind that blowsmyties awayAnd consignmy weakness fwillto the recedingwaves.I repudiate he meetingn theMan-ts'aopoem 42

120 And singtheold songoftheShao-nan.143I levelall caresand clingto integrity,Lodgemyaspirations44 at the world'snd.145

138 The assumption hat it is she playingthe flute s gratuitous n my part. Theline reads 'J2;k&t.139 The conceitoriginatesn the "Ch'ou ssu" fI,Jg (CT 4.28b):"I wish to send wordby the floating loud." It was used by Hsu Kan in the thirdof a series of untitledpoems (YTIIY 1.14a):@it7fipEj,%

How vast the floating loudI would like to use it to convey a message.It drifts way before can send it,I vainlythinkof him in agitation.140 4 44WiR.: cf. "Li sao," line 9: H )i 11s18RI4Rd@ii? cf. notes 73, 74.142I e., : cf. Shih ching No. 94: "In the open groundthere is thecreeping rass, he falling ew is plentiful;here s a beautiful erson, he clearforeheadhow beautiful We met carefree nd happy,and so my desire was satisfied." (KAaIL-

GREN, op. cit.,61). Cf. CHIANG en's ft "Beauty" Y (IWLC 18.16a): M F-J14 The "Shao-nan" is the name of a groupof poems (Nos. 12-2a5) n the "Kuofeng sectionof the Shih ching. The referencemay be to the comments rovided bythe Prefaceto the Shih chingon one of these (No. 17): " The mannersof a period

of decay and disorderwere passinig way, and the lessonsof integrity nd sinceritywere risingto influence.Oppressivemen could not do violence to well-principledwomen." (LEGGE, The ChineseClassics 4 [Prolegomena] 9).144 For - j cf. T'AO Ch'ien's poem "An Outingon the Hsieh Stream" (Works

2.7b): t [: "The wine half-gone, give freerein to my aspirations."14 /it forthe morecommon 4;" because of the rhyme.


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THE FU OF T'AO CH'IEN 189This fuof T'Ao Ch'ien'sis notthe last ofthe series,but thereis no point n addingmoreto the list.'46Now it is, or shouldbe,a general riniciplef criticismhat an adequatereading fa poemmustbe basedon an understandingf thepoet'sintent nwritingthepoem. It has beenargued hat sincetheprivatemental tatesof thepoet arebeyondthereachof thecritic, ll he has to go byis whathe finds n the poemhe is immediatelyoncernedwith,whichmustbe read and judged as something nique. Whateverthetheory, ood criticalpracticehas neverso limited tself.Forthereare a number of clues to the poet's intent. Sometimes,

especially n Chinesepoetry, he poet providesa prefaceto hispoemin whichhe statesquite explicitlywhathe is proposing odo. An intimateknowledge f the poet's lifewill oftensuggestattitudes nd concerns elevant o understanding givenpoem,though uchinformations usually ackingforChinesepoets. Apoet's ownstatement f his theory f thenatureand function fpoetry s a valuableguide to hispractice.But themostgenerallyavailableof all theseadventitiousids is a knowledge fthepoetictraditionnwhich poetiswriting,nd boththegenrehe is usingand the subject of his poem should be viewed in the lightoftradition.I do notproposehere otracethehistory fthefu, sufficientlycomplex ubject n itself, utshallpointout a fewfeatures ftheform s developedby theLater Han and Six Dynastiesperiods.HUANG-FU Mi (215-282) said,-47 The futakes its themesfromnaturalobjects,whoseaspects and properties re elaboratedtothe pointwhereno one can add anythingmore." This formulaaccordswellenoughwith ctual practice, nd appliesbothto thedescriptiveu and,byextension,o the yric uwithwhichwe arepresently oncerned.Logicallysuch a definitionhouldexcludethepossibility f twofuon thesame subject,forone exhaustivetreatment ardly eaves roomfora second. However. SSU-MAHsiang-juearlyestablished he precedent f takingup a themealreadycelebratedn a fuwiththe avowedintention foutdoing

146 The most recentseems to be by HSIEH Chi-hsiian S (1134-1173), a fuon "Interdictingthe Passions 4'T; .17 In his introductiono the "Three Capitals" fu of Tso Ssu ;,, WH 45.40a.


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190 JAMES ROBERT HIGHTOWERthefirst ffort.Withthegrowth fthepopularity fthefu thispracticewas practically he onlyexcuse forwriting u at all, aswritersbecame hard put to findnew subjects. By early SixDynastiestimesnotonlywere hecategoriesxhausted,t wasnoteasy to think fa suitable ndividualbird, nsect, ree,flower,rhouseholdutensilthat had not been elaboratelydescribed n atleastonefu. Thus as timewentonnearly verypossible usubjectcame to be treated n a whole eries ffu,eachmember fa seriesrepresentingpoet'sdeliberate ttempt o incorporateverythinghispredecessors ad written nthesubject. This generalizationssubjectto theusual reservations,ut it does apply as a markedtendency hataffected henatureof thefuform.One resultwasthe production f stereotypes: he development f a subject inany seriesfollows n established equence,and successivefu onthatsubjectdifferhieflyn length,he ateronesbeing he onger.In extreme ases eventhevocabulary vailable to thewriter fafu on an established hemewas to a largedegree imited o whathispredecessors ad used,so thattheforms markedby cliches.At thesame timethat thefuwas becoming stereotypedreat-mentofa conventionalubject, tsmetrical tructure,t one timequite free,was being reducedto a patternallowing ittlemorevariation hanthestrict hihform.From its occasionaluse as arhetoricalrnament,arallelism ecamemore ndmorerigid ntilit was the invariantbasis forthe constructionf each couplet.Thesevariousfactors ombined o make thefu ittlemore hananexercise n versification.t was at once a measureof a poet'seruditionnd an indexofhisskill fhecouldwrite fu o order.148All of thesefeatures re abundantly llustratedn the seriesoffu on " Stilling hePassions." Beforeconsideringhem n detail,thetradition fthesubject tself equires brief reatment.Theearliestfu containing catalogue of feminine harms s " TheGoddess" (Shen-niifJ), of pre-Han date if its attribution o

" CHANG Yen, CHANG Shun, and CHU I as youthswent to visit CHU Chui,whowishedto test them. He said, 'My guests all have to write a fitabout some objectbeforethey can sit down.' Yen wrote on dogs, Shun on mats, I on bows, eachwriting bout somethingwhich caught his eye [in the room]. When theirfu werefinished heywere seated." Wen-shithhuan < i t4 quoted in PTSC 102.3b.


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THE FU OF T'AO CH'IEN 191SUNGYii is accepted.149None of the Han Dynasty fu on thissubject is attestedby contemporarymentionor quotation,butTS'AO Chih wrotehis " Spiritof the Lo River" (Lo shenfu)" inspiredby SUNGYii's descriptionfthegoddessfortheKingofCh'u," as he said in his preface.150 therHan fudescribe hebeauty of somemerelyhumanwoman and fall into two generaltypes. The one employs settingwhere hepoet is called uponto disprove chargeof icentiousness; e describes he irresistibletemptation o whichhe was subjectedby a lovelyand amorouswomanwhoseadvanceshe managedto rejectbyfirmnessfwilland breath control. Typical examples are "The Lechery ofMaster Teng-t'u 't-+Af and "The Handsome Man"


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192 JAMESROBERT HIGHTOWERofT'AO Ch'ien'swritingss " the one slightflawon thepiece ofwhite jade," 52 he was presumably ndulging n a moralizingjudgment.153t is likelythathis objectionwas essentially uri-tanical: a high-mindedentlemanikeT'AO Ch'ienhad no busi-nesswriting n such a frivolous nd questionable ubject. Thisinference s borne out by the fact that HSlIAoT'ung excludedfrom he Wenhsiian all the " Palace Style" poemswhich werebeingwritten nderthepatronage f his brother HSIAOKang),thoughhe foundroom forthe occasionalpieces,most of themwholly onventional,fhiscontemporaries.t is notnecessary oendorse HsIAo T'ung's critical udgmentto agree that he wasreading hepoemcorrectlys one of a seriesofmildly roticfuinwhich hemoralizingwistwas not forhim a sufficientustifi-cation foran unbecoming reoccupationwith the more carnalaspectsoflove.The allegoricalnterpretationf thepoemis mostpersuasivelystatedby Lu Ch'in-li.154y referringo another radition, hatof the " Li sao,"-he argues that in both " Stilling the Passions 'and the" Spirit ftheLo River" theovert tatements f ovefora womanreally ymbolize he love ofvirtue, nd that thepoets'melancholymustbe understoodo be theresult, otoffrustrationin love,but ofdisappointmentftheirpolitical mbitions.Thereis no denying hat" Li sao " phrasesoccur n bothfu,orthattheallegoricaltradition s very pervasive in Chinese love poetrygenerally, ut it does not seem to me possibleto apply it to thepoems nthe" Stilling hePassions" series,whatevertsvalidityforthe " SpiritoftheLo River,"and reading t into the " God-dess" poemsinvolves ssumingmorethan is knownabout theirputativeauthor, UNGYU. I quite agreewithMr. Lu that thepoemshouldbe approached hrough studyof iteraryradition,but it seemsto me thathe has chosenthewrong radition.Finally there s the strictly iographical eadingof the poemwhich nsists n takingT'AO Ch'ien'sfuas therecord f a deeply

152 In his preface o T'AOCh'ien'sWorks2b.... His appeal to the authorityof YANG Hsiung implies as much, and it was insuch terms hat Su Shih scoldedhim (cf. the quotation n T'AO'S Works5.7a).1i4 k ,I t , Hsiieh yian a f 2.8 (1948).87-91.


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THE FU OF T'AO CH'IEN 193feltpersonalexperience.155ow while there s absolutelyno ex-ternal vidence or ttributingoT'AO Ch'ien anysuch experience,there s at the same timeno way of disprovingt, and actuallythe issue is irrelevant o the value of the poem. It is not howdeeply he poet feels, ut how successfully epersuadeshis readerto feel. Yet there s a danger, n taking a whollyconventionalpoemout of ts historicalontext, f accepting debased currencyat its face value. No one expects to find n this sonnetof 56DRUMMOND's a faithful haracterizationftheunfortunate issCunningham; e is merely singthe established etrarchian on-ventionftheamatoryonnet:57The Hyperborean ills,Ceraunus'snow,OrArimaspus cruel ) first heebred;The Caspian tigerswiththeirmilk theefed,And Fauns did humanbloodon theebestow;FierceOrithyia's over nthybed

166 D. L. PHELPS in Studia Serica 7 (1948) .61: "As for this particularode, onescholastic interpretation as it that the poet's political ambitionsmet only withfrustration,o that finally ll he could do was to 'lay his far-reaching eelingstorest n the EightHorizons' Thus, the girlhis beloved-to theseallegorizingcholars-is only the goal of unattainablepolitical ambitionis. do not believe it The poem istoo convincing,oo immediate, oo direct n sincerity f feeling, or such a dry-as-dustinterpretation. am sure that T'ao Ch'ien was in love, desperately n love, with anirresistible oman But read the poem foryourself.""' SonnetXXXV, ThzePoems of WilliamDrummondofHawthornden The MusesLibrary) 1.69."'1The Petrarchizing oets "in sonnetsequence or pastoral eclogue anid yric,toldthe same tale, set to the same tune. Of the joy of love, the deep contentment fmutualpassion,they have little to say . . . , but muchof its pains and sorrows-thesorrow f absence, the pain of rejection, he incomparablebeauty of the lady and herunwavering ruelty. And they say it in a series of constantlyrecurringmages: ofrain and wind,of fire nd ice, of stormand warfare; omparisonsWith sun and moon,and earthand sea's richgems,With April's first orn flowers nd all thingsrare,That heaven's air in thishuge rondurehems;allusions to Venus and Cupid, Cynthia and Apollo, Diana and Actaeoin;Alexander

weepingthat he had no moreworldsto conquer,Caesar shedding ears over the headof Pompey; abstractions, uch as Love and Fortune,Beauty and Disdain; monsters,like the Phoenix and the Basilisk." (H. J. C. GRIERSON, "John Donne," The Cam-bridge History of English Literature4.225-6.) This descriptionwould need littlemodificationo apply to thefu on love themes.13


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194 JAMES ROBERT HIGHTOWERThee lull'd asleep,wherehe enrag'ddothblow;Thou didst notdrink he floodswhichhere do flow,But tears,or those by icyTanais' head.Siththoudisdainsmy love, neglectsmy grief,Laughs at my groans, nd stillaffectsmy death,Ofthee,nor heaven, 'll seek no morerelief,Nor longer ntertain his oathsomebreath,But yield unto my star,thatthoumaystproveWhat loss thou hadst n losing ucha love.

The sonnetofMARINO (" Te l'Hiperboreomonte, l'Arimaspe/Produsse,Elpinia, il Caucaso, o 'I Cerauno.") 58 of which RUM-MOND'S is notquitea translation,s guarantee f theconventionalsubjectof the poem. In the same way T'AO Ch'ien'sfu cannotbe read in isolation.The safest ointofdeparture ordetermininghespiritnwhichT'AO Ch'ien composedhis poem is his preface,wherehe said ineffect hat he was writing n exerciseon an established heme.It maybe worthwhile o formulatehetheme s a preliminaryomaking critical stimate f whatT'AOCh'ien did with t. Thisseems to be the basic structure f the several "Stilling thePassions" fu:There s a womanofgreatbeautywhoseequal cannot be foundin times past or present. She is good and wise, a model ofdecorum. I am irresistably ttractedto her, but alas I havenowayto approachher. I try o meether soul in my dreams, utheretoo I am frustrated. imaginethe bliss of being some in-animateobject which she has constantly bout her, but realizethatall of theseareusedonlyto be cast aside. I despair. FinallyI resolve o pull myself ogether, nd, by resigningmyself o theinevitable, ain some measureof control ver my feelings.T'AOCh'ien's versificationf this formula iffers rom hat ofhispredecessors-from heir urviving ragments,hat is-in theconsiderablelaboration f themetaphysical onceit lines35-75),to whichapproximately ne-third f the poem is devoted. Thedevelopmentfeach conceit s quite mechanical, nd what began

168 Quoted by W. C. WARD on p. 217-8 of The Poems of WilliamDrummond.


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THE FU OF T'AO CH'IEN 195as a device for relievingmonotonybecomesmonotonous tself.Still this is the sectionof the poem whichmost attractsthereader'sattention, robably because of the rarityof this tropein Chinesepoetry. It would be interestingo know how CHANGHeng, Ts'AI Yung, WANG,Ts'an, and YING Yang used the figure;none of the conceits uoted from heirfuwas borrowed y T'AOCh'ien,though ne at least of hiswas notoriginal.However, heconceptoforiginality ardlyhas a place in thecritique fpieceslikethis: success s to be judged according o how wellthe con-ventional lements re combinedntoa harmoniouswhole.Let usconsiderT'Ao's poem section by section.The first ighteen ines describethe lovelywoman,withtheusual emphasis n hermoralworth.Whatat firsteemsto be anextraneous actor s introduced; he is creditedwitha mood ofmelancholywhich n theearlierversionswas thesole prerogativeof the complaining oet. In lines 19-34,the mood is communi-cated to the poet through he device of the music whichsheplays, and there s the suggestion hat if only a suitable inter-mediarywere available she would welcomehis advances (sinceshetoo is sad and worriedboutthepassage oftimeand does notseemto findmuchconsolation n themusic). The conceits (" Iwould iketobe thecollarofyourdress ) in lines35-74 representa series f fantasies nhow a permanent nionmight e achievedwithout heintermediary;n each ofthemtheemphasis s on theirrelevant hemeof the impermanencef the imaginedpropin-quity. Instead of saying, " I wish I were . . . but unfortunatelythat is impossible," he says, " I wish I were . . . but it wouldn'tlast." This turn ppearsat first s a welcomedeviationfrom heobvious, but repetitiondulls the novelty,and the cumulativeeffect fthisfalsetrailthrough third f the poemis to weakenand dissipate ts impact. This sectiondoes serveto introduce hemood offrustrationn lines 75-84,whatever hereason assignedfor that mood. The setting f autumn, pproachingniight,ndsolitude (lines85-96), with the usual emphasison passing time,preparesforthe inevitabledreamsequence,herecondensed ntofour ines (97-100) and culminatingn the effectivemages of aboatwithout ars and thecliff-scalerithout handlhold.Awake


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196 JAMES ROBERT HIGHTOWERand unable to sleepagain,thepoet is observinghe signsofthenight's assingwhenhehearsthe sound ofa flute lines 101-110).From theassociation arliern thepoemof music ndhisbeloved,he is nownaturally eminded f her,and again allowshimself oimaginethat theremightbe a messagefromher,broughtby apassingcloud rather han the usual wild goose (lines 111-114).Disappointed again and reflectingn the obstacles separatinghimfrom heobjectofhisdesire,he endson the noteofrenunci-ationand resolution romisedn thepreface.In a formwhichgets tseffectsy elaborationt is pointless oobject to diffuseness,ut it is essentialthat one poem does notdevelop two unrelatedmoods. It is in this respectthat T'AOCh'ien'spoemis weak. As I have alreadysuggested, hepromi-nencegivento theseriesofconceits s not ustified y their on-tributiono thedominant hemeofthepoem,thatoffrustrationthroughnaccessibility." Stilling he Passions" is unique amongT'AO Ch'ien'sworksin that none of his usual preoccupations ppear in it-addedreasonforregardingt as an apprentice xercise n versification.The nextfu which wantto take up is his " LamentforGentle-men Born Out of theirTime." In it are symbols,vocabulary,and above all a themewhichhe was frequentlyoncernedwith.But he is stilltreating traditional heme n a traditionalman-ner, s hispreface estifies:59

TUNGChung-shu ncewrotea fu on " NeglectedMen ofWorth ; SSU-MACh'ien likewisewroteone, and as I read them n myleisuretime 60 and idlehours 61 Jam deeplymoved. For to behave that onemay be trusted nd beconcerned o be eligibleforHeaven's blessing62 constituteman's 63 goodconduct;to cherish implicity64 and maintainequilibrium65 are the excel-

159 Works 5.1a-b.160 cf.San kuo chih (Wei chih) 13.28b: Asked to explainthemeaningof the expression =tt$, [T'UING]Yii said, " Winter s the idle seasonf,i of the year;the night s the idle time of the day; cloudy,rainydays are the idle periods of theweather." Cited by Ho Meng-ch'unfiiJ-tl.16132 H 9: i.e., "Time when I was not busy carrying n improving onver-sation withmyfriends; cf. I chingNo. 58 ( ):162 ~{~~ Ifr- cf. ibid., Isi-tz'uA/il: I -41AA is probablya T'ang emendation o avoid the taboo JX.164 tjF cf. Tao te ching .9b: % I I ,16-5-


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THE FU OF T'AO CH'IEN 197lentqualities f the gentleman. ince thetimewhen hetruemorality e-parted heworld,hegreatmpostureas heldsway;66 in thevillage heyneglect heduty f retiringorhigh rinciples,nd in themarket lacetheyareavid for quick dvancement.167orthymenwhoclung o therightndsettheirminds nthetrueway hid their alents68 intheir imes; hosewlhokeptthemselveslean nd conductedhemselvesecentlyxertedhemselvesto nopurpose o the ndoftheirives.So Po-iandthe Four]WhiteHeads 69complainedhat herewasnoonetowhomhey ould urn.170 CH'U Yuian 71gave ventto hiscry It is all over."72 Alas, we havehuman orm or tthe most hundred ears nd are gone nthetwinklingf an eye; t is hardto establishne'sconductinso brief lifetime],ut evenso the nhabitantsof single itywillwithholdheir nanimousraise.173his s why hosemenof old wet theirbrushes nd repeatedlyave expressiono theirpent-upfeelings ithoutverresolvinghem.Nowit is onlypoetrywhich an giveadequateexpressiono the mind nd thefeelings. held a scroll fpaperin myhand,uncertainf mypowers; inally wasmoved o write n thissubject.

The rather edantictone of thepreface uggests hat this s anmoreerious ubject. There areonly woprototypes,nd they reobviously ntended o supplybackground orT'AO Ch'ien's ownfu. It is hardto tellwhichwas written irst, ut as it is shorter(thetextmayof coursebe incomplete), shallbeginwith SU-MACh'ien's: Lament forUnemployedGentlemen74Alas for hegentleman ornout ofhis time 75?8)': ibid., A.9a. A lM1jfiJf II

16 Jf9 cf.Li chi 17.7a-b4In aU JAR RIJp2 aA, "In servingone's prince,when one is reluctantto enter service and quick toretire, hen there s order n positionis.When one it quick to serve and reluctanttoretire, he result s disorder."Cf. also ibid.,9.4b.168 ~3i: For jade as a symbol of a man's worth, f.Analects 9/13.169. fiM: cf. note 211. The "Four White Heads" weresages who retired rom heworld under Ch'in Shih-huang-ti nd later refusedto serve Han Kao-tsu; cf. KaosZih chuan B.7a-b (SPPY ed.). T'AO Ch'ien elsewhererefers o them in his poetry,e. g., Vorks 2.21a, 3.22a.170 Both Po-i and the Four White Heads are creditedwith similarsongs endingwith" Whomshall I serve?17 CH'UYuan is addressedby thetitle r J; in " The Fisherman (CT 7.1b)12 Tlle expressioni is from he concluding ines of the "Li sao " (CT 1.49a).1 I am unable to locate the source forthis allusion.174 ,?25tT IWLC 30.2la-b; CHW 26.4b-5a.176For ;tT,R cf. Shih chingNo. 257/4: J4 | "I was born untimely"(KARLGREN,op. cit., 9221).


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198 JAMES ROBERT HIGHTOWERAshamed o livealone withonlyhisshadowfor ompanion,176Alwaysconcernedo controlhimself nd be courteous77Fearing esthis determinationo act go unmarked.1785 In truthhisendowments adequate but thetime s outof oint;Endlesslyhe toilsup to theveryvergeofdeath.Thoughpossessedof[pleasing] orm, e goesunnoticed,Whilecapable,he cannotdemonstrate is abilities.How easilypeople are misledby poverty r success-10 It is hardforthem to distinguish etweenbeauty and

ugliness.Whiletimedragson and onI am hemmed n,nevergivenscope.He whotreatsthe ust justlyIs myfriend:He who s selfishwith heselfishBringsgrief o himself,17915 Heaven's way is mysteriousVast indeed; 80176 A lit., "watching one's shadow," comes to mean "self-absorbed,"out ofvanity of eitherworthor beauty.177 t .e jWjTq: cf. Analects 12/1: " To controloneself and be courteous isperfectvirtue (jen)."

178 _jJ: cf. ibid., 9/123: "A youth is to be regardedwith respect. How do weknow his futurewill not be equal to our present? If he reach the age of fortyorfifty,nd has not made himselfheard of, then indeed he will not be worthbeingregardedwithrespect (LEGGE, The ChineseClassics 1.2023).179 e &; . . . S1fikLSKI do not understand hese ines,whichperhapsshould be referred o Lieh tzu (SPTK ed.) 1.6b: 4'4ALRLX IZ1t . A richmantold a poor man he had got his wealthby stealing. The poor man tried it anldwasarrested. The rich man explained that by stealinghe meant stealingfrom nature,not frommen. Master Tung-kuo commented, Mr. Kuo's stealing was from thecommon store, and so he escaped punishment. Your stealing was selfish nterest.an-d so you got into trouble. Both those who treat the private as though it werepublic and those who do not do so are thieves. To regardthe public as public andthe privateas privateis the principle f heaven and earth. Knowing the principle fheaven and earth,who will speak of stealingor not stealing?" This passage suggestsa possibletranslation: " He whotreatspublic [property]s public is myfriend; e whoappropriateswhat belongsto othersbringsgrief o himself." am not sure what thatwould mean in the presentcontext.1SORZZWPA o Li Shan's oim.onWH 15.026a,24.13b,8.17bhas

C,J)E-:,kJN + . As YEN K'o-chiin remarks,this is a contaminationfromthenext line.


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THE FU OF T'AO CH'IEN 199The way of the world s obvious:Overthrownd rape.181To love lifeand hate deathIs despisedby theable;To love rank and insultthelowlyIs theoverthrowfthe wise.Brilliant s my deep insightMy understandingapacious.920Murky s theirunenlightenmentPoison brewingwithin.182This heartofmine-Thewisemanunderstandst; 83Thesewordsof mine-The wise man garners hem.To die namelessWas theancient's hame;84To hear the truth n themorningnd die that night-Who will say the sagewas wrong?8525 There s a cycle betweenbad timesand good:[States]fall and rise.One cannotdependuponconstant rinciplesOr relyupon sound knowledge.18'Do not act to bring bouthappiness,

For the conitrast etweenW and A,K cf. Chuang tzu (SPTK ed.) 4.42b:q A jA A A A k -.*-2Z.J A *;4gt "What is meantby the Way? Thereis the Way ofIleavein and there is the Way of man. To be esteemed withoutacting is the Wayof Heaven. To become involved through cting is the Way of man.... The Wayof Heaven and the Way of man are far apart."182 jkjReh~there must be an allusion behind this phrase whichI have not beenable to discover.'83,t,it'k % E8 'J4: cf.Shihching 98/4: "Othermen have their thoughts, ut I can understand hem (KARLGREN, Op. cit., 148).184 This is the themeof the "Letter to JenAn," WH 41.10a-27a, esp. 23b: 7l.if - T--NARR* -fQ# t -a185Cf. Analects4/8: "The Master said, 'If a man in the morninghear the rightway, he mav die in the eveningwithoutregret'" (LEGGE, op. cit., 1.168).180 These two lines are fromLi Shan's com. on WH 39.26a. This is a repudiationof the Confucian onceptsof3M and ;', leadingto the Taoist conclusion.


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200 JAMES ROBERT HIGHTOWERDo notinterfereoprecipitate alamity:87Entrustyourselfo the spontaneousAndintheend everything illrevert o the One.In this, SU-MA Ch'ien (ifthepoem s actuallyhis) givessomeweightto the old chargeof Taoist inclinations, ut typicallyhe providesan unimpeachably onfucian ettingforhis heresy.TUNG Chung-shu'streatmentof the theme is rather moreambitious:

NeglectedMenofWorth88TUNGChung-shuOh, alas, howfar-off,owdistant 89How slowly hechance comes, hat so swiftly ecedes.190They are no followers of ours 191who bend their will toothers'beck; 92Upright93 I have awaitedmychance untilnow I amapproaching he grave.

3 Timegoeson,194 cannotexpectto be understood,195My heart s depressed,19 cannot hope fora position.Uneasyactivitywould serveonlyto add to mydisgrace,187 MEg ffJ@2W cf.Chuang zu6.3a: T igtaf "Hedoes not take the initiative n producing itherhappiness or calamity'" (LEGGE, SBE39.265).188 k4Li ? : KWY 3.3a-3b; IWILC 30.20b-21a; CHWV 23.1a-b.1& This apostrophe s presumably ddressedto Heaven; cf. SSU-MIACh'ien, line 15;also the commonexpressionsi _jAI and i { The burdenof this plaintis that fate is unknowable.190 gef. Fa yen (SPTK ed.) 6.2b: :J ;LA "The good time,the good time,how slowlyit comes and how fast itgoes."191 Cf. Analects 11/17. By appropriating o himselfConfucius'words the poet ismakinghimself he spokesmanforthe Confuciantradition.

192 ,>% J cf. SSU-MACh'iel1, ine 12: F?Ii>Xf4I.19 .4: Cf. Mencius 4A/4: Jt194 f4,4t.{- cf. SSU-MIACh'ien, line 11 jf,4t,. .

195 4sMPft t~ I take the chiieh as referringo his potentialpatron, the rulerwho might mployhim; cf. the " Biographyof CH'UY uan," Shih chi 84.3b: 'IJ F7190 jj5;fiJ* (withA; foryii) occursfrequentlyn the Shih ching, . g.; No. 26/5.


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THE FU OF T'AO CH'IEN 201To butt the fencewithall my strength illonlybreakmy horns.'97If I do not eavemy door may avoid trouble.'98Development: "10 I was bornnotduring he flourishingfthe ThreeDynastiesBut duringhetime f decadencewhich ollowedhem.While hroughlevernessnd deceit ne canexpect uccess,The uprightnd theuncompromisingxercise elf-restraint.Though thricedaily reflectn my conduct0015 I am fully ware that to advance orretires equallydifficult.20'Men of that lktruly here remany 202Whopointat thewhite nd call it black.203It ispretty yeswhich re trusted,utmy sight s dim,Glibtongues rebelieved, utmy speech s faltering.,2OThe godsare unable to straighten ut the perversityf

human affairsNorcan sages enlightenhebefuddlementf thestupid.If I leavemy door 05 Jcannotwalk togetherwith hem"'1Cf. 1 ching No. 34 (L-): "A ram butts against a fence and entangles hishorns."198 Ibid., No. 60 (VJ}L "He does not leave his door. To blame." This unpairedline does not end in a rhyme, nd either he ;a is a misprint r a line has droppedout of the text.199 IH. This termoccurs in the "Distant Wandering" (CT 5.4a) and in theChieh-yiiPan's "Lament for Herself" (CHW 11.7a).'00 Cf.Analects1/4: " I dailyexaminemyself n threepoints (LEGGE, The ChineseClassics 1.189).

201 tLIR : cf. Shih chingNo. 257/9: " People have a saying, To advance orretire s alike difficult.'"202 e tZVJtij~: cf.Shu ching 4/2/S: " Contemners f the worthy nd parasitesof the powerful,-many uch followers e had indeed (LEGGE, Op. cit., 179).203Cf. "The Nine Declarations: 't.? "They transform he white andmake it black" (CT 4.25a).204 ' It is not clear just how these attributesare to be distributed.On the basis ofAnalects4/24 (" The superiorman wishesto beslow in his speech and earnest n his conduct"), F " should be a positivevirtue,contrasting ith" glib-tongued." y analogythe same distinction houild oldbetweenmu hu and shihmiao.200 I?iP43:.e., take office.


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202 JAMESROBERT HIGHTOWERWhen hidemy alents08 theycofftmy ntransigence.I withdraw o cleansemyheart 07 and examinemy

conscience0825 But stilltheydo not understand he course follow.209When consider onditionsn ancient imes,Then too menof integrity ere solated and had noone to turnto.UnderT'ang oftheYin therewerePien-sui ndWu-kuang210UnderWu oftheChoutherewerePo-i andShu-ch'i.930 Pien-sui nd Wu-kuang rownedn thedeepsPo-i and Shu-ch'i limbed he hillto pickherbs.If evensaints ikethoseweredistraught12What sto be expectedwhen hewholeworldhas goneastray?Men likeWu Yuan 213 and CH'iY Yuian 1435 Werereallywithoutnyone heymight ook to.-15Though am notup to [theconduct f]thosemen,I shallgo ona distant oyage,2- lways dmiringhenm.Alas, menofmv sort re far way217

200A cf. I ching (Hsi-tz'u B/4): I I "Thesuperiorman keeps his instrumentoncealed on his person, waiting the proper timeto act."207 A,j3 : cf. ibid., (Hsi-ts'uA/10): _V k.RftVtC , A "The sageswith thesecleansedtheirheartsand, retiring,reasured hemup in secrecy."208 For NA I cf.Analects5/27.209 tjj 4ffigJJ This may mean "I do not know to whom I mightoffer

allegience."2'OT'ang first ffered ien-suithe empire, nd Pien-snii rowniiedimself.He thenofferedt to Wu-kuang,who likewisedrownedhimself.Cr.Chuany t7m..29b-30a.211 For Po-i and Shu-ch'icf. BD 1657.212 Cnu Ch'i-feilg TT 878) equates %Jw with #I14@1along with othervariantorthographies); hemeaning angesbetween idle" aind uncertain."213 Better known as Wu Tzu-hsii;cf. BD 2358.214 BD 503.215 For protection nd employment.216 The connotations f . are Taoist (CT 5) and allegorical f a searchforapatron (" Li sao "). As developed in the following ines, it must also be takenliterally: "I am goingon a voyageof discovery o see whether can find sympa-theticfriend."17 In time (as the misunderstood eroes just mentioned) and in space (as thefriend e hopesto find.)


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THE FU OF T'AO CH'IEN 9203I fearthepath is overgrownnd hard to walk;40 I dreadthewarning hatthesuperiorman on a journeyWill go threedays without ating.2"8Alas, everyonen theworld s perverseI regret here s no one to join me in getting ack[totheTrue Way].Betterturnto thegoodold cause45 Andnotletoneself e carried longbythe times.Thoughall profit e gainedbyviolating he true selfIt is stillbetterwithpureheart o cleaveto theoneGood.

One may act onlyunderpressure f circumstances-It doesnotfollow hathe is by natureobstinate.1950 I knowwell thatgreatachievement20 comeswithcompanionship21Andunderstandherewards ftheglory fhumility.22I conformo thehidden hrough ilent ontentmentAnddonotshowoffmyexcellence rseek tobeprominen-t.If one can makecommon ausewith truefriend255 Whyquibbleoverthe differencen our ages? 21TUNG Chung-shuhas developedthe themeby supplying x-amples,and forconsolationooksfora friendn adversity.Thelifeofretirementhichhe advocates s wellwithin heConfuciantradition f stayingout of officewhenthe timesare bad. T'AOCh'ienmultipliedheexamples nd borrowed reely rom othhispredecessors:

218 Cf. I chingNo. 36 (J3L): "The superiormanon a journeywillgo threedays withouteating."219 /e JfeE9 Z I am notsure hat understandhisline. I take it to mean that, thoughunwilling o compromisehis ideals by servingwhenthe timesare not right,he mightbe forcedby circumstances e. g., poverty) todo so; still his reluctance s not to be taken as a sign of obstinacy,forhe wouldgladlyserveifhe could do so on his own terms.220 **: I chingNo. 14.221 Ip1A: ibid.,No.13.222 M ibid.,No. 15 ) t'22 JJJ1f) it. "liver and gall."224 $: I have been unable to locate the reference ehind this term, nd so mytranslation s only a guess. It might mply" superficial ifferences ratherthan age.


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204 JAMESROBERT HIGHTOWERLament forGentlemen orn out of theirTimeT'AO Ch'ien

Ah,of all who receive hebreath f ifefrom he Creator"'It ismanalone who s endowedwith ntelligence.220One, givendivineknowledge, ideshis light;Another, ossessedofthe Three and theFive,227 eavesa nameto posterity.5 Somefind heir atisfactionnbreaking lods,228Othersperformome great ervice o mankind.Granted hatquiescence r activity29 areallottedbyfate,Whatever he circumstancesne shouldbe complacentand satisfied.The worldfloats longand goesitsway,10 While ll things re divided ntoclasses according o form.2'When a finenet s cast thefish refrightened,WThen strong nare s laid the birds re alarmed.23'' Ck : cf.Chuang zu 2.19a: z | "The breath ftheCreators called hewind."

228 Cf. Shu ching21/1/3: ' JFAi* J "Heaven andEarth refathernd motherfall things,nd manofallcreaturess theoneendowedwith ntelligence."IIjts ambiguous. It may refer o the E_13jP& (as in PAN KU'S "TwoCapitals"fu,WH 1.17b),or twoconstellationsShih hingNo. 21/1),orthesignifi-cant imentervalsf thirtyndfive undred ears Shihchi27.37a, 1b). It is thelnstwhich ields he best ensehere; f.the firsthihchipassage ited: A A)0_Ei "Rulersof a statemust especthethree nd thefive."228 iJm: "In the time ' theEmperor ao theworldwas at peaceand thepeoplewere t rest. An old laborer,vereighty, as breaking lods n theroad.Someonewho saw himsaid, Great is the virtuous ower f theEmperor 'Theworkeraid, I beginwork t sunrisendrest t sunset. diga wellforwater ndtillmyfield or ood.What s theEmperor'sirtue ome?" (Kao shih huanA.4a).Li Kung-huan'sote bout game f dartsgoing nder hesamenaImes irrelevant.229 jp.: i.e., whetherne lives n retirementr leads an active ife of publicservice;cf. I chingNo. 1 (JJ.L).230 If-;,:cf. ibid., (Hsi-tz'u A/1): t I; JiZt "Crea-tturesre divided y classes; rom his omegoodand bad fortune."erhaps heresal,so reflectionereof thecoupletn No. 6 of thepoems On DrinkingWine"(IVorks 3.22) *tf %Wen rightndwrongrearbitrarilygiven orm,/Theyll join togetherith heir lame rpraise."231 Cf. JUAN Chi's Sad Songs"No. 76 (59a inHUANG Chieh's d.): Vfl ,1 j "Whenthe inehangs eepthefish ive nto hedepths;Whenthearrows ly loft he birds oarhigh."


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THE FU OF T'AO CII'IEN 205In thesamewaythetrulywisearequicklyputontheir uardAndfleefrom ffice o go back to farming.

15 High-soaringmountains idetheir hadows,Broad-flowingivers oncealtheir ounds.232They sigh ongwhentheythinkof the Emperors luang-tiandYao;Relinquishing lory, heytake pleasure n poverty ndlow condition.The water n flowingrom hepuresprings forever ivided,

920Through ctiongoodand eviltake their eparate ourses.Whenwe lookfor hemost estimablekindofconductIt is surely hegood nwhich necantake mostpleasure.We acceptour ot fromHeaven aboveAndtake as ourguidethewritings equeathedbytheSages.233925We showourselvesoyalto ourprince nd filial oourparentsWe cultivate rust nd duty nourtown.We willgaindistinctionif t all] through onestyNeverseeking raise f t involves ompromise fprinciple.234Alas,thesycophantsnd slanderers-30 The worldabhorsanythinguperior.The manofvisiontheycall deluded,The onewhoseconduct s uprightheysay is perverse.He who s absolutely ighteousnd above suspicionIn theend is putto shamewith landerous harges.35 You mayclaspyour ewel and clingto yourorchids,235

232[U E )IIiEiXiIb'jJ . I take these lines as referring o thehermit'sretreat,forwhichmountainsand rivers are commonsymbols;cf. Shih chi79.20b: XffiJ JI} Cf. also TS'AO Chih's "Stilling Thoughtsof Love," lines6-7: W 24 Eli7 1 ti233Cf. T'Ao Ch'ien's poem "To YANG Sung-ling" (Works 2.20b): H41=iEA"tW " To know about timesa thousandyears ago, /We have only to relyon thewritings f the ancients."234 f. TUNG Chung-shu,ines 16-7.235 Symbolsof the worth of the uprightman. For the jewel cf. note 168; fortheorchidcf. note 93.


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206 JAMES ROBERT IIIGHTOWERIn vainyourfragrancend purity-who believes nthem?Alas forgentlemen ornout of their imeI canno longer ive under hen-nung rtheEmperorK'uei.23In solitude have devotedmyself o self-cultivation 3740 Whenhave I failed hricedaily to examinemyself?38I hopedthatby improvingmyvirtue wouldbe readyifa chance shouldcome,239The chance came, but I foundno favor.Without directwordfromMasterYuanChangChi would have died in obscurity.24045 I sympathizewithOldMan Feng, the Palace SecretaryWhohad to dependonPrefectWei to givehisadvice.24Theymade every fforto achieve recognition:Still theyate theirheartsout, yearafteryear.Onemaybe surethere s no tiger n the market50 But three eportswill ead one astray.242I lamenttheTutor Chia's 43 outstanding alentsHis far-reachingourse hecked nd confinednbounds.244

236 , supposedto be eitherShen-nung's uccessoror a descendantofHuang-ti."37 A constantrefrain n the "Li sao."238 See note 200.239 M ;J> cf. I chingNo. 1 ( ): I U-N 4J1"The superiorman improveshis virtue and refines is achievements,n thehope thathe will be ready if the chance offers."240 CHANG Shih-chih (T. ) served ten years withoutpromotionuntil

YUTAN Ang 9 a recommended imto the EmperorAVen; f.Han sht 50.1a-b.241FENG T'ang ) as Chief of Palace SecretariespFr1-4$ fouind ccasion toprotestthe Emperor Wen's treatmentof WEI Shang' fiM, refectof Yiin-chung+14$ ~ who had been unjustlypunished. FENG T'ang used this as an example ofthe Emperor's nadequaterewardsforthe deserving Han shu 50.6a-b). T'AO Ch'ien'swording uggests hat he had in minda differentersionof the story.242 " P'ANG Kung . . . said to the King of Wei, ' If a personwerenow to say thereis a tiger n the marketplace,wouldyou believe it? The king said no. 'If two mensaid so, would you believe it? ' No.' ' Would you believe it if threemen said so?'I would believe it.' 'It is obvious that thereare Inotigers n the market,but the

testimony f three men creates a tiger n the market.'" (Han Fei tzu 9.5a). Thisillustrates he power of unfavorable ublicity.243 CHIA I was SeniorTutor *fto Pi inceHuai of Liang; cf. Shih chi 84.8b.24 For f.T I- cf.No. 9 of the series" On DrinkingWine" (Workcs .23a) .1g, ,IE '4"It s possible to learn to hold oneself n check,/But t isreallywrongto go againstoneself."


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THE FU OF T'AO CH'IEN 207I am distressedhatMinister ung's 45 profoundearningShouldhave endangered imrepeatedly,houghhe

fortunatelyscaped..5 I am movedthatthewiseman is without comrade-My dripping earswetmysleeve.Onemayacknowledge he FormerKings' excellent ictumThat Heaven knowsno favorites.246One mayfind uidancebyholding trictlyo the One 4760 Andbyconstantlyiding hegood,helpthe cause ofvirtue.But [Po-]i nhisold age sufferedromonghungerAnd [Yen]Hui diedyoung fter iving npoverty.I lament henecessity orbegging carttobuyhiscoffin,248I grieve hedeathofhimwhoate herbs.24965 Thoughthe one lovedlearning nd theotherpracticedrighteousnessTheir iveswerehardand theirdeathsbitter.I suspectthatthisteaching50 is nomorethanemptywords.It isnotthat nall theworld here renomenofability,70 But it is seldom hatall roadsarenotblocked.251The menofoldwereburdenedwith are,XYorriedesttheyfailtomake a namefor hemselves.252

24 TUNG Chung-shuwas "minister" j1 in the court of the Prince of Chiang-tu;cf.Han shu 56.21a.21 Cf. Shutching5/17/4: iX4j ,p r& -&AH "Great Heaven has no affec-tions;-it helps onlythe virtuous (LEGGE, The ChineseClassics 3.2.490).247'g p1f cf.Huai-nan tzu 16.1b (SPTK ed.): A M H 1"We get a reflection, ot fromdrippingrain, but fromstill waters."T'AO Ch'ien is using chien " mirror in its symbolical ense; but as withwater, the"one" provides a guide only if "clear," that is, not agitated; hence ch'eng. Forj.- cf. Tao te chingB.2a.248Cf. Analects 11/7: "When Yen Yuan died, Yen Lu begged the carriageof themaster [to sell] and get an outer shell for his [son's] coffin (LEGGE, The ChineseClassics 1.239).249 I. e., Po-i. I have paraphrased his line.220 Of the formerkings; cf. line 57. This sentiment s repeated in "On DrinkingWine" No. 2 (Works 3.20b): S; g ,, -)L251 EW2+ This seems to say just the opposite, and I take han asemphatic.2S2 Cf. SSU-MA Ch'ien, ine 23.


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208 JAMES ROBERT HIGHTOWER[Li]Kuang beganhiscareerfromhetimehe cameofage,And neednothavebeenashamedto be madelordof tenthousanld households.25375 But hisvalorwas brokenbya royalfavorite54And in the endhe gotnot a footofterritory.He leftbehindhima reputation or incerityndintegrityTo moveto tears everyonewhoheardofhis death].255[Wang]Shang offered ood advice to reform orruptpractices;80 He was a-t irstistened o,butmisfortunevertook im.256How easily prosperous imeschange,How quicklymisfortuneominates.Blue Heaven is far off,Whileman's striving as no surcease.85 SometimesHeaven]is responsive,ometimest remainsunmoved-Who can fathomts principles?Better ndurehardship nd follow ne'sinclinations

253Cf. LI Kuang's biography (Han shu 54.7a): f r "I havebeen fighting he Hsiung-nu since I came of age." He was never offered uch areward, n spite of his greatservices. The EmperorWen said of him,"It is too badKuanigwas born at thewrong ime. If he had lived underKao-tsu,it would not havebeen too much forhim to have been enfeoffeds Marquis with ten thousand house-holds" eJrw4T An"P -tit-i, (IHan shu 54.1a). ForLI Kuang's own complaint bout his treatment, ee ibid., 54.6a. T'AO Ch'ien has EL"c ities for , probablyfor the rhyme.254 )A : i. e., WEI Ch'ing J (half-brother f one of Wu-ti's favorites)whowas Commander-in-Chieff the expedition gainstthe Hsiung-nuwhenLI Kuang losthis way and was late at their rendezvous. WEI Ch'ing reportedhim,and LI Kuangkilledhimself.25 " When he died all in the empireshed tears,whether heywere acquaintedwithhim or not. Such was his inmostsincerity nd integritywith gentlemen (Han shu54.23b, after SU-MA Ch'ien's appreciation n Shih chi 109.9b).256There was a false reportof an impendingflood in Ch'ang-an. The EmperorYuan summonedhis counselors, nd WANG eng advised the Emperor to take to aboat alongwith the Empress and thewomenofhis harem,whileeveryone lse climbed

up on the city walls. WANG Shang remarkedthat there had never been a flooddemanding uchdrasticprecautions ven in timesofunprincipled overnment,nd thatunder the current nlightened ule it was unlikelythere was to be any flood. TheEmperor was convinced, nd it turnedout to be nothingbut a rumor. WANG engwas embarrassed nd resentful,nd later securedWANG hang's demotion (Han shu892.lb-5b).


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THE FU OF T'AO CH'IEN 209Than compromisend harassoneself.Since I takenogloryn thecap and carriage foffice

90 Whybe ashamed of tatteredgarments?57Indeed I have missedmychanceby choosing implicity,258But I shall be happyto return o thequiet ife.259Cherishingmyfeelingsnsolitude,260shall endmyyearsDeclining nyoffers61 from he market lace.The themeoftheunemployed age,theneglected cholar, heslandered tatesman s far moreubiquitous n Chinese iterature

than any ove poetry, owever haste. History ndlegendprovidean almost nexhaustableupplyofprototypes;nd legend,historyand literature oalesce n thefigure fCH'UTYuan to produce heperfect epresentativef thetype. The manyHan and Six Dynas-ties fuwhichare dedicatedto thistheme are permeatedby the" Li sao " to an extenthard to demonstraten termsof verbalborrowings,hough those are frequent nough. The specializedsubspecies represented y the " GentlemenBorn out of theirTime" is notdirectlymodeled fter he" Li sao " as the" DistantWandering" and the " Meditation on Mystery" are, but thesamelamentover an unsympathetic orldwhich ffords o placefor ntegrity r genius s thedominantmotif. While this was anattitude fashionable n Later Han and Six Dynasties China, itseldom appears in T'Ao Ch'ien's poetry n so obvious a form.Except in the seriesof sevenpoems" Celebrating mpoverishedGentlemen" 7JCN, his frequent eferenceso recluses ikeJUNGCh'i-ch'ior the Four White Heads are to express dmiration orthe course they chose rather han to criticize irectly he condi-

257 g j cf.Analects/27: " TheMaster aid, Dressedhimselfn a tatteredobequilted withhemp, yet standingby the side of mendressed n furs, nd not ashamed;-ah it is Yu who is equal to this" (LEGGE, The ChineseClassics 1.225).258 ,: cf. T'AO Ch'ien's poem "Returning to the Country to Live" (Works2.5b): $ j Wl259 A recurrenthemenT'ao'spoetry.200 $X: I take this figuratively,y analogy with M'MART7 (Works2.21a) and **'Jt' (" Hsien ch'ingfu," line 77).21 : cf.Analects /12: "Tzu-kung aid, There is a beautiful emhere.Should I lay it up in a case and keep it? Or should I seek for a good price andsell it? The Master said, 'Sell it Sell it But I would wait forone to offer heprice " (LEGGE, he Chinese Classics 1.221).

14


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210 JAMES ROBERT HIGHTOWERtionsthatmade theirretirementecessary.He ordinarily indsfaultwiththepresentby eulogizing goldenage ofthepast, asinthe ines 62

I hark back to thetimeofTung-huWhenharvested rainwas left n thefields vernight;63Andpeoplethumped heirfullbelliescomplacently,264Rising nthemorning,eturningometo sleepat night.SinceI didnotgetto live in sucha timeI shall ust go on wateringmygarden.The themes fwithdrawal rom resentdisorder nd of a goldenage of thepast areneatlycombinedn theutopia of the " PeachFlower Spring,"an oftentranslatedanthologypiece.265 T'AOCh'ien'spersonal nterest n menout ofharmonywiththeir imesis thuswellattested, ut histreatment f the theme n his " Gen-tlemen"fu s notcharacteristic;t is,however, erymuch n linewiththepre-existinguwhichhe used as models. Thoughdirectborrowingsre fewer han in the " Stilling he Passions" series,the inspirations strongly raditional, s even a casual readingshows.Again should ike tomake a moredetailed tudyofT'AOCh'ien's poem to demonstratehow he combinesconventionalthemes.Wherehis predecessorsaunched mmediatelynto theircom-plaint,he beginsbystatinghispremise lines1-8): man s uniquein beingendowedwith ntelligence,nd of all men the sages areoutstanding orpossessing hat endowment o a higherdegree.That somesages live an activelife,benefitingheirfellows,whileothersretire nd devotethemselves o self-cultivationeflectsdifferencen theopportunitiesresented hem; t is theresultof

262 From the poem about the burning f his house,Works3.17a.263Ho Meng-ch'unquotes fromTzu-ssu-tzuT1 -T-: "In the time of Tung-huChi-tzu,people walked straightdown the road withoutpickingup things eftthere,and surplusgrainwas leftovernightn the fields."24A reference o Chuang tzu 4.15a: "In the time of Ho-hsiu he people stayed athome withoutbeing consciousof what they did; they went withoutbeing aware ofwhere they were going. They ate and were happy, drummedon their bellies andenjoyed themselves."203 H. A. GILES, Gems of ChineseLiterature104-5.


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THE FU OF T'AO CH'IEN 211circumnstanceeterminedyfate, nd calls forneither ensurebyothersnorcomplaintby the less favoredones. However, n thecourseoftimecategories fbehavior re setup, subjectto praiseand blame. The sage regardsthese arbitrary tandards as asnareand withdraws rom heworldto live in poverty nd ob-scurity.He regrets hechange oftimes,but finds leasure n hisenforced etreat (lines 9-18). Since the primordial tate of un-differentiatedeinghas degenerated o admitgood and evil,onemustchoosewhatone's conduct willbe, and naturally t is thegood to whichone givesallegiance, nd thegood is that definedin the Confucian thic. A man who aspiresto make a name forhimselfmustkeephisconductwithin hese imits lines19-28).This introductionrovides heframe freferenceor he amentwhichbegins (lines929-36)witha bitter ndictmentftheworld-suspicious of excellence, keptical of integrity,landerousofworth:thegoodman finds ittlecreditforhis ideals. Beginningwith ine38 thecomplaint akeson a morepersonal one,thoughthepoetdoesnotuse thefirst ersonalpronounhereoranywherein thepoem. What he nowsays may apply to himself, ut it isstillexpressedngeneral erms.Line 38 carries reminder ftheunattainable deal: even in the schemeof legendwhichpassedforearlyhistoryn pre-modern hina,Shen-nung nd the Em-perorK'uei are shadowypre-historicigures, ellburied n a pasLantedating ao and Shunto whomConfucian olklorewas proneto appeal. In themodernworldthepoet finds hat virtue s noadequatequalification or position,ndillustrates hepointwithtwoexamplesfrom heHan

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