Ancient Poem Origin

Author: (Qing) Shen Deqian
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-01-01
Features: Poetry reached its peak in the Tang Dynasty, yet the peak of poetry was not its origin. As for those who observe water, they may stop at the sea, but tracing it back, the nearest to the sea is the Nine Rivers, above which are the overflowing waters and the Mengjin River, and further above, from the Jishishan to the source of Kunlun. The Records say, "Those who sacrifice to rivers first offer the Yellow River as the sea." They value the source. Poetry before the Tang Dynasty was like the waters flowing down from Kunlun. The Han-Jing Wei family, though distant from the Wind and, were not different in words. Even the ornate and elaborate poetry of Qi and Liang, and the light and delicate poetry of Chen and Sui, had wind and style that were not inferior to Tang poetry. Yet to call them the origin of Tang poetry is like saying that the waters of the four seas do not flow from the Mengjin River below—can there be such logic? In the early Ming Dynasty, inheriting the legacy of Song and Yuan, Li Xiangji revived Tang poetry and swept the world, with everyone following in his footsteps. The Seven Masters of the Late Ming supported each other and flourished. Yet their flaw was excessive adherence to Tang poetry, making scholars criticize them as if they were clay figures in robes. Unable to trace the origins of Tang poetry further back, those who classified and categorized poetry could then spread such arguments. Thus, Tang poetry is the upper stream of Song and Yuan poetry, and ancient poetry is the origin of Tang poetry.