Wen Yiduo

Author: Chen Jun
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-02-01
Features: On July 15, 1946, after attending the memorial service for Li Gongpu, Wen Yiduo was shot and killed on his way home. The "death of Wen Yiduo" was, for him, the completion of "poetry"—the completion of poetry as art transforming into poetry as action; for his era, it was a pivotal moment. Whether it was the "nation" he once believed in or the "people" he persistently upheld in the 1940s, both were solidified under the shadow of Wen Yiduo. In the history of modern literature, he was second only to Lu Xun in the honor he received. In fact, for most of his life, he lived as a poet—whether by promoting the trend of regulated verse, immersing himself in the of ancient classics and traditional literature, or even in his fierce and vivid political activities, it all revealed a poet, not a scholar or a politician. Wen Yiduo's nationalism, Wen Yiduo's academic research, Wen Yiduo's ethical framework for the people—all had their origins and sensibilities in the poet's spirit. Especially the "death of Wen Yiduo" was full of passion and had a touch of the spirit of Chu people. Later, Li Qiu all assigned a highly politicized image to Wen Yiduo, which was rather puzzling and unrealistic. Wen Yiduo was among the earliest to affirm the important role of the "mysterious element" in poetry in the history of modern poetics and revealed the intrinsic connection between "yin" (the hidden) and "xing" (inspiration), as well as "xiang" (image), with the "image" and "symbolism" of Western poetry. He strove to find the possibility of "dialogue" between traditional Chinese poetics and Western modern poetics. Moreover, in his poetic practice, he employed the creation of dreams and illusions, images and symbols, and death imagery and atmosphere, bringing a mystical beauty to poetry.