庞德与中国诗歌

1、Pound and Chinese Classic Poems1. The coming of image and Chinese poems influence on Pound1.1 The social and literature backgroundAt the end of the 19th century and the beginning of 20th century, the west world is changing dramatically. The United States becomes richer and richer, and the social rev

2、olution is going on. Old moral codes were breaking down. “Meanwhile, the loss of faith, which began noticeably with Darwins theories of evolution and was intensified by the development of modern science, continued with a greater intensity into this century. In short, people found themselves living i

3、n a spiritual wasteland, as T. S. Eliots epochal poem suggests, where life was a meaningless and futile affair and man felt homeless, estranged and haunted by a sense of doom.” 1 “The traditional English poetics with its iambic pentameter, its verbosity, and extra-poetic padding can not meet the nee

4、d of expressing the temper of the age.”2 In order to change this situation, a small group of English and American poets, such as T. E. Hulme and Ezra pound, came together in the first years of this century to work out some new way of writing poetry. Imagists proposed, “something like an imagist mani

5、festo in 1912 in which Pound and Flint laid down three imagist poetic principles: (1) Direct treatment of “thing”, whether subjective or objective: (2) to use absolutely no word that does not contribute to the presentation; (3) as regarding rhythm, to compose in the sequence of the musical phrase, n

6、ot in the sequence of a metronome.”31.2 Chinese poems influence on Pound“In 1913 he (Pound) became the literary executor of Ernest Fenollosa, the noted American Orientalist, and began his fruitful study of the Chinese language and ancient Chinese culture.”4In Fenollosas work, Pound found that “Chine

7、se poem is, by virtue of the ideographic and pictographic nature of Chinese language, essentially imagistic poetry. The Chinese language is concrete and direct and metaphorical, and Chinese poem is noted for its virile laconism and austere pregnancy (which also characterize imagist poetry). The hist

8、ory of Chinese writing conditioned Chinese literature to its conciseness and precision. To make fewer words do more was the cherished aim of literary training in ancient china. Since images need fewer connectives and convey more, it is only natural that they are built into the very texture of classi

9、cal Chinese poetry. They either juxtapose with, or superimpose or melt into each other, and often form clusters of fused ideas impregnated with power and energy.”5 It is no wonder that Ezra Pound found a “New Greece in the culture of China, and a model to recreate，to emulate and to surpass. Inspired

10、 by the Classical poems Chinese Poetry，Pound found a way to break away from“the poetics of motional slither”, to mold a brand new kind of poetry，and to launch an American cultural revolution.”6One points should be pointed out is that some scholars over emphasized Chinese classical poems s influence

11、on Pound and imagism. According to the study of Yuan Xin, the ideas of imagism of Pound has already set up before he started to study Chinese classical poems s and Chinese literature. “It is Pounds principle of imagism that caused him to be interested in acquiring, understanding and translating Chin

12、ese classical poems s, and Chinese classical poems s enhanced his belief in imagism. ”7Imagist poems inherit some ideas from Chinese classical poetry, but “the imagist movement drew from a variety of poetic traditions. Greek, Provencal, and Japanese poem are among the many acknowledged sources of im

13、agism and Pounds poetry.”8It is at this point that Chinese classical poem can be compared with imagist poems.2. A comparative study of Image between Chinese classical poems s and pounds poemsIn this section, the key idea of imagist movementImage will be discussed to show the common ground and differ

14、ence between Chinese classical poems s and pounds poems2.1the common ground of Chinese classical poems s and pounds poems2.1.1 the ideas about imageAs the name of the movement-Imagism shows, Image is the core of the movement. “T. E. Hulme said that the image must enable one “ to dwell and linger upo

15、n a point of excitement, to achieve the impossible and covert a point into a line.” 9 Pound defined an image as that which presents an intellectual and emotional complex in an instant of time, and later he extended this definition when he stated that an image was “a vortex or cluster of fused ideas”

16、 “endowed with energy.”10 In Chinese classical poems s, Image also plays an important role for a very long time. The images in the Chinese classical poems express the “subtle momentary felling” and “a complex felling”11 or “Image is pure sensatory. it is the concretion of felling.” Or “image is the

17、impression of the things left in the mind.”12 So it is easy to found that the west and east have something in common to some extent. 2.1.2 The presentation of image.In this section, the method of presentation, like direct treatment, and superposition, used both in Chinese classical poems s and Pound

18、 poems will be discussed.2.1.2.1 Direct treatmentThe first principle of Imagist, “with its emphasis on direct treatment, indicates a desire to make the expression resemble the “object” as closely as art can make it. By “direct,” Pound means no fuss, frill, or ornament.”13 In his work “Osiris”, Pound

19、 explained this principle. He holds that modern poems should be “closer to the thing; beauty of the thing should replace rhetoric and frilled paper decoration.” The language used in the poems should be harder, nearer the bone, and like granite”. 14 That requires poets do not use ornament or emotion

20、to decorate the thing but present the thing before the reader, just like present a sculpture before a visitor. Pound found that “Chinese poets have been content to set forth their matter without moralizing and without comment” 15 He wrote in his works: If you want some European to give a definition

21、of something, the definition they gives will deviate from the simple thing and move to a remote place where nobody knows. If you ask him what red is, he will definite it as a kind of color. If you ask him what color is, He will tell you it is a kind of libration or refraction of light, or the separa

22、tion of spectrum. While Chinese defines red in another way: “red: cherry, rust or flamingo.” That means Chinese treat things directly without any ornament.16 2.1.2.2 Juxtaposition of images One of the characteristics in classical poems Chinese poem is the juxtaposition used especially in ”jue ju(qua

23、train) and ”Lu shi(eight- line verse). The following is one example: 17月落乌啼霜满天江枫渔火对愁眠The moon goes down,Crows caw，frost takes the sky,Sleepy gloom weaves,River maples and fishing lanterns.In the original poem, the images-moon, Crows, frost, River maples, fishing lanterns-are presented one after anot

24、her. All these images are juxtaposed. Pound named this kind of technique as “superposition” and he used it a lot in his writing. One does not have to search far for an apparent example of this sort in Pounds famous imagistic couplet, In a Station of the Metro which immediately shows similarity in te

25、chnique to the above classical poems couplet. The apparition of these faces in the crowd;18Petals on a wet, black bough.The images “apparition of these faces” and “Petals on a wet, black bough” are juxtaposed too. The Superposition of images has created a special effect-cinematic montage effect. Aut

26、umn Thoughts by Ma Zhiyuan(1260-1341 A. D.) might serve to illustrate:天净沙秋思19枯藤老树昏鸦,小桥流水人家,古道西风瘦马。夕阳西下,断肠人在天涯。Autumn ThoughtsWithered vinesOld treesEvening crows，Tiny bridgeSluggish creekScattered houses，Ancient roadsWesterly windA lean horse.The sun setting，A tired man travelingFar from homeThe suc

27、cessive shots-vines, trees, bridge, roads, horse, sun setting- here present us with coexisting images，like those in a film. It is no longer one picture plus another, it produced something like “1+12”.Pound also intended to juxtapose the images for visuality like Chinese classical poems s. Some sente

28、nce from Cantos49 might serve to illustrate:Rain; empty river，a voyage, 20Fire from frozen cloud，heavy rain in the twilightUnder the cabin roof was one lantern.The reeds are heavy; bent;And the bamboos speak as if weeping.Pounds successful application of montage in his poems, a case in point is the

29、skill of superposition and juxtaposition, is something common between Pounds poems and Chinese classical poems.2.2 the differences between Ezra Pounds poems and the Chinese classical poems s in image The presentation of image in Ezra Pounds poems and the Chinese classical poems s are alike on the su

30、rface, but there are some great differences between this two. 2.2.1 different quantity of imagePound strongly advocates “superposition”, but it is a little impossible for imagist poets to create as many images as Chinese classical poets. Take In a Station of the Metro as an example, there are only t

31、wo images: “apparition of these faces” and “Petals on a wet, black bough”. Take William Carols Williams “The Red Wheelbarrow” for example:So much depends21upona red wheelbarrowglazed with rainwaterbeside the whitechickens.There are only three images-“wheel, rain, chickens”. But in Chinese classical

32、poems s, images appear one after another. Take Wang zhihuans liangzhuoci for example: 黄河远上白云间,一片孤城万仞山。羌笛何须怨杨柳,春风不渡玉门关Liangzhuoci22Yellow river up to the white cloudLonely castle in the mountainsQiang flute should not censure the willowThe spring wind never travel across YumenguanThere are eight imag

33、es-“yellow river, white clouds, mountains, castle, flute, willow, Yumenguan” and we can recite the “Autumn Thoughts by Ma Zhiyuan, there are 12 images in this 28-word poems. The quantity of images presented in Pounds poem cannot compare with that of Chinese classical poems.2.2.2 different inner stru

34、cture Antitheses are often used in Chinese classical poems poems. Usupoemsly in Chinese classical poems s, two compared images belong to one prototype. For example, liu zongyuans poem snow:江雪千山鸟飞绝，万径人踪灭。孤舟蓑笠翁.独钓寒江雪。Snow23No birds fly in the mountainsNo people walk in the pathWearing coir rain coat a

35、nd bamboo hatAn old in lonely boat fishingNothing but snowIn this poem, “千山,万径；鸟，人；孤舟，独钓”compare with each other. But in Ezra Pound and other imagists poems, this kind of structure cannot be found.2.2.3 different viewpointLike Chinese painting, Chinese classical poems s do not focus on one object or

36、 image. Just like painters can put the Yellow river in one painting, Chinese classical poets can put all kind of images together, such as the example mentioned above-“千山,万径”. All these images are equal and they will be united by the key sentence of the poem. But while Pound deal with his poems, the

37、method he adopted just like the western painters-focus on one point. So in his poem In a Station of the Metro, the center image of “face” is emphasized.2.2.4 different theoretical base and its resultThe theoretical base of Chinese classical poems is “意境说”(artistic conception). According to this theo

38、ry, the “idea” and the “image” should be unified together. “Idea” refers to the feelings and emotion of the poet. “Image” refers to the scenery described in the poem. Idea and image should be coherent one-express the feelings and emotions through the scenery. In these two, the “idea” is the center o

39、f the poem. In one poem, usually there is one key sentence to illustrate the feelings or emotions of the poet. For example, in “Autumn Thoughts by Ma Zhiyuan(1260-1341 A. D.), “Withered vines, Old trees, evening crows，tiny bridge, sluggish creek, scattered houses, ancient roads, westerly wind, a lea

40、n horse, the setting sun” has already create a sad situation, but the last sentence “A tired man traveling far from home” unit the whole poem. The whole poem was under an unbearable sadness.But the theoretical base of imagist poet is different. One of the leading imagist-Hulme suggests “that modern

41、art deals with expression and communication of momentary phases in the poets mind. Poetic techniques, he goes on to state, should become subtle enough to record exactly the momentary impressions. The key word here is “momentary”. The most effective means to express these momentary impression s is th

42、rough the use of one dominant image.” Each sentence should be a lump, a piece of clay, a vision seen.”24. And pound also emphasized that poem is image: image is poem. Imagists pay attention on the viauality of the image. They want to reflect the pure felling or experience of themselves instead of co

43、mbine the image and emotion together. They want the reader to share the “momentary” impression of them. The purpose of their poem is to present one or a cluster of “images” and let readers to appreciate the poem without any hint. . For example, in Pounds famous In a Station of the Metro, only the im

44、age“apparition of these faces” and “ petals on a wet, black bough” are presented. But if Pound did not explain, it is difficult for others to understand. 3.Economy of expressionPound advocates using “absolutely no word that does not contribute to the presentation. It stress economy of expression, a

45、reaction to the nineteenth-century tendency of philosophical “padding” of extra-poetic matter, or “emotional slither.” To Ezra Pound and unnecessary word represents a loss of precision and a moral and artistic defection.”25 Take his In The Station of the Metro for example: “Pound was once in a Paris

46、 subway station and was struck by the sight of the faces of a few pretty women and children in a crowd hurrying out of a dim, damp, and somber station.”26 At first he wrote a 30-line poem, but after one and a half years refinement, at last it becomes a two-line poem.At this point, Chinese classical

47、poets can be treated as models. We can get some ideas from Dupus poem “it cost me three years to make two lines，/I cry when I recite them ”27. Chinese classical poems express the most by using the most succinct word. Pound appreciate this point of Chinese classical poems s very much, especially Liba

48、s The Jewel Stairs Grievance. 28玉阶怨The Jewel Stairs Grievance玉阶生白露The jeweled steps are already quite white with dew.夜久侵罗袜It is so late that the dew soaks my gauze stockings,却下水晶帘And I let down the crystal curtain玲珑望秋月And watch the moon through the clear autumn.In order to achieve the effect of Chin

49、ese classical poems s, Pound even “invented the syntactical break”. We can found that in Cantos 49, Pound tried his best to short his poem by trying using only the content word, but it is impossible for Imagist to produce poems as Chinese classical poets. That is because Chinese and English, as two

50、languages, are dislike. Chinese is a language largely depends on the meaning and form of the words, but English is a language depends on grammar and structure. So Chinese poets “therefore enjoy great freedom from the linguistic bounds of tense，case，and voice to achieve a laconic style by concentrati

51、ng on words which show only objects or images without regard to the use connectives，prepositions，or auxiliaries;” 29 but while Imagist poets do their works, they must use connectives，prepositions，or auxiliaries.There is also another great difference. Although Chinese classical poems are very short,

52、it is easy to understand. Take Bai juyi for example: once he wrote a poem, he read it to old ladies and children to see whether they understand his poem. But imagist poems are hard to understand because they are too concise- there is not enough explanation and hint for readers to understand.4.relati

53、on between music and verseTo Pound, Imagism was not only an attitude toward the nature and function of poetry; it was also a matter of technique in conflict with the style and technique of Victorian poetry. The break from the conventional in content was accompanied with a breakthrough in prosody. Po

54、unds advocates the use of free verse and the interrelationship between music and verse. He tried to combine the music and poem together. He holds that the beauty of music lies in the up and down of the words and sentences rather than the repeating rhyme. He thinks the rhyme of the poems should be va

55、ried and every emotion should have its own thyme. A poet should create rhythm by using the musical short sentence instead of using the repeating rhyme. So he thinks the traditional prosody is the obstacle of the poems development. He used free verse to replace the traditional prosody and adapted the poems from “the old styled music” to “the natural flexible musi