Many scholars consider lyrical poetry as the epitome of Chinese traditional literature. While the literary aspect of Chinese poetry is conventional knowledge among Chinese Literary scholars, there is a conventional agreement that the Tang Dynasty 618- 907 played a critical role in the development of Chinese Poetry. In China, poetry played a role that was distinct form that in the West. During the Tang Dynasty, poetry became a language of communication that went beyond literature and entertainment. Poetry became a tool of communication, a demonstration of affection and a custodian of secrets among the members of the society.
In such a poetic world, defining a poet became a daunting task. However, this did not stop poets from thriving. Among the most exceptional Chinese poets of all time is Wang Wei. Wang Wei is a famous Tang Dynasty Chinese artist who was known for his poems, music, and paintings as well as a political leader. Although Wang lived between 699- 759, his poems are still preserved and kept. Some of Wang’s poems were published and included in the 18th century anthology called “Three Hundred Tang Poems” Wang’s poems were done in a style called Mojie thus leading to him signing his work as Wang Weimojie that was a reference to Vimalakrti who was a central figure of the Buddhist sutra. In this paper, we explore the several work of Wang Wei.
Stylistically, Wang Wei was renowned as the grandmaster of Jueju style. Wang Wei’s poetry portray the influence of nature which is perhaps comparable to the Renaissance poetry of Wordworrth and this class of poets. Wang Wei’ poems depict tranquility in quiet scenes of water, and mist with very limited human presence. Many scholars argue that Wang Wei was questioning the reality of nature while affirming natures’ beauty. This feeling of ambivalent towards nature is demonstrated in one of Wang Wei’s work called “One hearted”. In one hearted, Wang writes about the beauty of nature while affirming the love that exists between him and nature.
Here is an excerpt
When those red beans come in springtime,
Flushing on your southland branches,
Take home an armful, for my sake,
As a symbol of our love.
Perhaps the most famous work of Wang Wei is document in the series Wang River Collection. In this collection, Wang wrote couplets that were replied by his friend Pei Di. In these poems, Wang talked about his home and neighborhood fondly in what was called Lantian poems. Despite of the simplicity in the poems, have great depth and analysis of situations that is unique. In the Wang River Collection, there is the element of panting combined with poetry. Wang Wei blends poetry with art in what is called “transforming the poetic sentiment and atmosphere to picture square scenes and represent them in drawings. For example, “Wang Wei’s poem sees Yuan Er off to Ansi” was the original idea behind his painting Yangguan Pass. Another characteristic of the poem is the similar rhyme schemes that Pei Di and Wang Wei adhered when replying the couplets. This is what led to the name “Jueju poems” (Selected Poems and Pictures of the Tang Dynasty, 1987: p. 8).
Wang Wei was a devout Buddhist a fact that deeply influenced the way in which he viewed the world. His Buddhist religion influenced his poetic style that mostly explains the calm affirmation and the restive attitude depicted in his poetry. In Wang Wei’s poetry, there is little elements of the wild or the picturesque in nature that other nature poets scramble to write about. Similarly, Wang Wei does very little with human connection to nature except when it is about his own connection. Instead, Wang Wei registers the scenes in nature as they appear to him. Both the human and the non-humans are represented in objective and natural way without exaggeration. This impartiality of Wang Wei sets him apart from other nature poets in Tang period and also across the globe. Let us examine Wang’ technique as used in his poem the “Bamboo Mile Lodge”
Alone I sit in the dark bamboo
Strumming the lute, whistling away
deep woods that no one knows
where a bright moon comes to shine on me ( Watson, 201, 1984).
In this poem, one can see the intense connection between the persona and nature. The first observable feature is solitude in the midst of nature. Second, the persona talks about bright moonshining on him in the darkness. On face value, this poem does not offer a lot of depth. However, a deeper analysis shows a high level of symbolism and an accurate representation of Wang’s personality. This poem talks about Wang’s connection with his religion that brings him light. The moon represents the light that comes from the Buddhist religion while the bamboo represents meditation and prayer in the wild. In the second last line, the persona says, “deep woods no one knows” This means that the persona’ connection with nature and his religion is one aspect of his life that no one except himself can understand.
In the poem “Answering Magistrate Chang”, Wang Wei writes about nothingness in life and the meaning of life being found in solitude. Scholars argue that this poem was written later in Wang’s life after the demise of his wife and mother and after he was incarcerated by a usurper that took over the courts towards the end of Tang dynasty. A question that remains unanswered is that who was magistrate Chang? Was this poem political as much as it was a supplication? According to Yang Jingqing, the fusion of Chan into Wang Wei’s poetry indicates a process of meditation and the mental states of enlightenment. The use of the word Chan as magistrates is representative of the religion of southern Buddhism that required strict adherence to solitude and meditation. Wang Wei is believed to be one of the people who had a chan inspired intention to retreat from the world in order to practice meditation. The meditation was in response to the struggles and evils of life that had stricken Wang Wei (The Chan Interpretations of Wang Wei's Poetry: A Critical Review. Beijing, 2008).
Wang Wei undistinguished official career as a diplomat was frequently disrupted with seclusions on his private estates. For example in the poem “Villa on Chung-Nan Mountain” he writes that
In the middle of years, I came to love the way
and made my way home late by South Mountain’s edge
when the mood came upon me, I went off alone
and had moments of splendor all to myself
While this poem indicates Wang Wei’s love for landscape and country life and an intense longing for peace and seclusion, it has more elements than meets the eye. Whereas it is accurate to say that Wang Wei’s Buddhist religion influenced his love for seclusion, it could be correct to say that Wang Wei’s poem depicts his disillusionment with the politics at this time. In the words of G. W Robinson, “the emphasis on Wang Wei’s love for nature and landscape is an oversimplification of his work.” There is a good chance that Wang Wei’s poems had characteristics of an individual running away from the politics of the day (Poems of Wang Wei, 1975).
In conclusion, a lot has been written about Tang Dynasty’s poetry and its influence in Chinese poetry today. This paper has examined the poetry of Wang Wei who was an instrumental part of the Tang Dynasty’ poetic revolution. In the paper, the themes and influences of Wang Wei’s poetry as well as analysis of his work has been provided. After a detailed analysis of Wang Wei’s work, we agree that the timelessness of his work will forever remain a vital component of Chinese literature particularly poetry. However, the ambiguity surrounding the influences and the meaning of Wang Wei’s poetry still remain elusive for many literary critics.
Works Cited
Robinson, G. W. “Poems of Wang Wei.” The Modern Language Journal Vol. 59,.No. 5 (1975): 295--296. Print.
Selected Poems and Pictures of the Tang Dynasty. Hong Kong: Chinese Traditional Culture Series, 1987. Print.
Ward, Jean. Tang Poets. N.p.: Lulu.com,, 2008. Print.
Watson, Burton. The Columbia Book of Chinese Poetry: From Early Times to the Thirteenth Century. New York: Columbia University Press, 1984. Print.
Yang, Jingqing. The Chan Interpretations of Wang Wei’s Poetry: A Critical Review. Beijing: Chinese University Press, 2008. Print.
