Original poem

Author: Ye Xie (Qing Dynasty), annotated by Hu Songlin
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 1979-01-01
Features: In the history of ancient China, the slogan of "reviving the past" sometimes contained progressive elements, while at other times it was entirely reactionary. For example, figures like Han Yu and Ouyang Xiu advocated for classical prose, ostensibly under the banner of "reviving the past," but in reality, they opposed the prevailing formalistic literary style of the time and sought to innovate in literary forms, thus introducing certain progressive elements. (When elaborating on the relationship between "literature" and "the Way," they naturally spread many remnants of feudalism. In contrast to this is the "reviving the past" of those who argued that "the present is inferior to the past." Traditional proponents of this view, such as Ge Hong criticized, endlessly harped on about how "the mountains of today are not as high as those of the past," and writers followed suit, dragging history's tail backward in their pursuit of "reviving the past." This was, of course, entirely reactionary. The original poem by Ye Xie of the Qing Dynasty (1627-1703) is a work of poetic theory and criticism that explores the essence of poetic creation, primarily aimed at opposing the reactionary trend of "reviving the past." Yan Yu, styled Yiqing and known as the, was a native of Shaowu (now part of Fujian Province) and remained a lifelong scholar without holding official office. While he did not achieve outstanding success in poetic creation, his "On Poetic Discourse" () is an extremely important work of poetic theory. The book is divided into five sections: On Poetry, On Poetic Forms, On Poetic Methods, On Poetic Criticism, and On Examinations, with the latter being the core. Yan Yu's poetic theory is grounded in the fundamental nature of poetry as "singing one's emotions," and the "Biography of Literary Figures of Fujian Province" also summarizes Yan's poetic theory as "eliminating praise and criticism, and acting solely according to one's own spirit." The entire work completely avoids discussing the relationship between poetry and Confucianism or Taoism, as well as its functions in politics and moral education, while emphasizing the artistic quality of poetry and the emotional impact it has on people's hearts. This stands in stark contrast to the literary views of Confucian scholars and is highly noteworthy.