Outside the door poetry talk

Author: Zhu Zhengzhi
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2003-10-01
Features: "A Scholarly and Chivalrous Teacher" — Zhang Dongsun's Poems on Liang Qichao
Zhang Dongsun shared a deep connection with Liang Qichao, as their political attitudes and ideological inclinations were very close, and they collaborated on various activities. Liang Qichao mentioned in Record of Thoughts During the European Journey that in late 1918, he traveled to several European countries with Jiang Bili, Ding Wenjiang, Zhang Junmai, and others. On the eve of their departure, "That night, we talked with Zhang Dongsun and Huang Suichu all night, earnestly repenting our past delusional political activities and vowing to abandon them entirely, dedicating ourselves to contributing to the intellectual sphere. This conversation marked a new life for us among our peers." One of the activities in the intellectual sphere was the launch of the bimonthly Liberation and Transformation in September 1919. It is unknown whether this decision was made during their overnight talk at the time of farewell. The journal was edited by Zhang Dongsun and Yu Songhua. Liang Qichao was undoubtedly the spiritual leader of the publication. In March 1920, Liang returned to China, and soon after, the journal was renamed Transformation, with Liang taking over as the editor. Zhang Dongsun retained a deep affection for Liang even in his later years, which was reflected in his poetry. He began writing poems at the age of sixty-seven, in 1952, after a sudden fall from a high position and his withdrawal from social and political life. At that time, poetry became his spiritual solace:
"Amidst the myriad wonders, I sit in silence,
Under the pale moon in the vast void, I endure deep thought.
How to my soul when the heavens and earth are turbulent,
Only through poetry can I dispel lingering illnesses."
During the Cultural Revolution, his home was searched, and he himself burned many of his poems, leaving few preserved. His grandson, Yi Ci, collected some scattered manuscript pages, totaling over a hundred poems and dozens of ci poems. Yet, several of them were about Liang Qichao. Someone gifted him a pair of couplets written by Liang Qichao. The couplets read:
"Recalling past storms, I crossed them with my own body,
Now I stand aside, watching the world's affairs with folded sleeves."
These couplets seem not to be included in Collected Works of Yinbing Studio and it is unknown to whom they were written. They appear to be from his later years. In his youth, he was not of this mindset. After the 1898 coup, he fled overseas but remained unwavering in his resolve. In his Six Poems to Farewell Comrades in Australia, he wrote:
"Braving the wind, I traveled ten thousand miles,
Yet the rain has fallen for three years.
How many times have I danced at the crow's call,
Rubbing Zutizhi's whip."
Or:
"The world still awaits my salvation,
The responsibility lies with us."
These lines reveal his ambitions. In fact, he acted accordingly. After the founding of the Republic of China, he actively participated in political activities and played a significant role in opposing Yuan Shikai's declaration of empire. As for these couplets, the upper line recalls the storms and trials of his life, while the lower line expresses his withdrawal from active political struggles, adopting a detached, observing stance toward worldly affairs. Maturity in art—perhaps these were written during his tenure at Tsinghua University.
It was in 1952, the year he suddenly fell from a high position and withdrew from social and political life. At that time, poetry became his spiritual solace:
"Amidst the myriad wonders, I sit in silence,
Under the pale moon in the vast void, I endure deep thought.
How to my soul when the heavens and earth are turbulent,
Only through poetry can I dispel lingering illnesses."
During the Cultural Revolution, his home was searched, and he himself burned many of his poems, leaving few preserved. His grandson, Yi Ci, collected some scattered manuscript pages, totaling over a hundred poems and dozens of ci poems. Yet, several of them were about Liang Qichao. Someone gifted him a pair of couplets written by Liang Qichao. The couplets read:
"Recalling past storms, I crossed them with my own body,
Now I stand aside, watching the world's affairs with folded sleeves."
These couplets seem not to be included in Collected Works of Yinbing Studio and it is unknown to whom they were written. They appear to be from his later years. In his youth, he was not of this mindset. After the 1898 coup, he fled overseas but remained unwavering in his resolve. In his Six Poems to Farewell Comrades in Australia, he wrote:
"Braving the wind, I traveled ten thousand miles,
Yet the rain has fallen for three years.
How many times have I danced at the crow's call,
Rubbing Zutizhi's whip."
Or:
"The world still awaits my salvation,
The responsibility lies with us."
These lines reveal his ambitions. In fact, he acted accordingly. After the founding of the Republic of China, he actively participated in political activities and played a significant role in opposing Yuan Shikai's declaration of empire. As for these couplets, the upper line recalls the storms and trials of his life, while the lower line expresses his withdrawal from active political struggles, adopting a detached, observing stance toward worldly affairs. Maturity in art—perhaps these were written during his tenure at Tsinghua University.
These couplets resonated deeply with Zhang Dongsun. His experiences shared similarities with Liang's. Liang had fled overseas, and Zhang had been imprisoned by the Japanese during the War of Resistance, both having weathered great storms. Both had also engaged in active political activities. Liang need not be mentioned. As for Zhang Dongsun, on October 1, 1949, when Mao Zedong proclaimed the founding of the People's Republic of China from the rostrum of Tiananmen, Zhang Dongsun's name was among the fifty-six members of the Central People's Government, a recognition of his political contributions. Yet by the time he saw these couplets, he had already withdrawn from political life, able only to stand aside and observe. He showed extraordinary interest in these couplets, writing a poem titled Thanking Brother Dachong for Gifting Liang's Couplets:
"Not weary of the dust of carriages passing by,
Through our friendship, I came to know your bold spirit.
Once we stood side by side in the whirlwind of fate,
Now I envy your detachment, immersed in books.
These couplets seem prophetic after the calamity,
Fearful of the third night, my eyes are renewed.
Every morning, I meet with Anqi in laughter,
Daring to hope for neighborly bonds in the future."
I do not know the circumstances of Brother Dachong gifting these couplets to him. From the couplet, this brother had participated in major political activities with him but withdrew much earlier to the solitude of his study. It is interesting that the phrase "couplets seem prophetic" implies that these couplets were fulfilled in his own life. Thus, he wrote two poems titled After Writing About Liang Ren Gong's Couplets:
"The remnants of calamity's ink, I caress,
Thirty years have worn my eyes to the point of exhaustion.
Now I stand aside, observing the world's affairs,
Recalling the storms I have weathered."
"Under the cold rain of the night, I endure the chill alone,
One day, I sadly face the memory of my captivity.
Through the ages, the lonely brush writes of solitude,
Only accompanied by a lonely lamp, I weep silently."
These poems were likely written around 1959, thirty years after Liang's death. Later, in his Reeling Poems of Yunlei, he wrote:
"Half a lifetime of storms, I have crossed,
In old age, I stand aside, watching the."
This shows the profound impression these couplets left on him.
Title for the New Publication of Liang Ren Gong's Poetic Manuscripts:
I saw two manuscript drafts. One was written in a fountain pen, with revisions and no title, likely the first draft:
"Few teachers and friends in the desolate world,
My boiling heart finds solace in poetry.
A lone wave rises across the four seas,
A thousand years of worries, known only to a stone.
The wind and thunder of shared karma shake the earth,
The swarm of insects are bound by the Milky Way.
Listening to the night rain in the empty mountains,
Except for thinking of you, nothing else comes to mind."
The other was written in a brush, without revisions, with a title, likely the final draft, though the character "" (gong) was dropped from "":
"A scholarly and chivalrous teacher is my guide,
Even in my dreams, I can still imagine him.
The horns of a horse may grow, yet they are still feared,
Seeing the dust of a bowl again, what else can I think?
A lone wave rises across the four seas,
A thousand years of worries, known only to a stone.
The shadows of the remaining manuscripts by the lamp,
Listening to the night rain leaning by the window."
The last line has a note: "Su Dongpo's poem: 'Closing the old books to mourn past and present, night rain ripples by the window.' I use his meaning here." "Except for thinking of you, nothing else comes to mind" shows his constant longing; "A scholarly and chivalrous teacher is my guide" reveals his deep admiration.
Collected Recent Works of Liang Ren Gong, Including Letters on Socialist Movements, I reread them and was filled with emotion:
"In the cold night, I have read your old letters a thousand times,
Who can help me sort through the tangled threads?"