Considering the End: Mortality in Early Medieval Chinese Poetic Representation Sinica Leidensia Edited by Barend J. ter Haar Maghiel van Crevel In co-operation with P.K. Bol, D.R. Knechtges, E.S. Rawski, W.L. Idema, H.T. Zurndorfer VOLUME 107 The titles published in this series are listed at brill.nl/sinl Considering the End: Mortality in Early Medieval Chinese Poetic Representation By Timothy Wai Keung Chan LEIDEN • BOSTON 2012 Cover illustration: Li Jian 黎簡 (1747–99), “Xiao’ao yanxia” 嘯傲煙霞. Art Museum, The Chinese Univer- sity of Hong Kong. Acc. No.: 1973.0764 (4). Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Chan, Timothy Wai Keung. Considering the end : mortality in early medieval Chinese poetic representation / by Timothy Wai Keung Chan. p. cm. — (Sinica leidensia ; v. 107) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-90-04-22209-0 (hardback : alk. paper) 1. Chinese poetry—221 B.C.-960 A.D.—History and criticism. 2. Mortality in literature. 3. Death in literature. I. Title. PL2313.C36 2012 895.1’1209—dc23 2012003513 ISSN 0169-9563 ISBN 978 90 04 22209 0 (hardback) ISBN 978 90 04 22902 0 (e-book) Copyright 2012 by Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands. Koninklijke Brill NV incorporates the imprints Brill, Hotei Publishing, IDC Publishers and Martinus Nijhoff Publishers. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, translated, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission from the publisher. Authorization to photocopy items for internal or personal use is granted by Koninklijke Brill NV provided that the appropriate fees are paid directly to The Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Suite 910, Danvers, MA 01923, USA. Fees are subject to change. This book is printed on acid-free paper. contents v Contents Timeline. vii Preface and Acknowledgements. ix Introduction: As the End Approaches. 1 1. Wang Yi on Integrity and Loyalty . 7 2. A Young Lady on Yellow Pongee Silk . 41 3. Ruan Ji on Apocalypse . 65 4. Tao Qian on His Deathbed . 97 5. Xie Lingyun on Awakening. 127 6. Composed on the Verge of Unnatural Death. 159 7. Epilogue: The Fisherman in Reclusion . 187 Works Cited. 209 Index . 229 vi contents Contents Timeline vii Preface and AcknowledGements ix Introduction: AS the End Approaches 1 WanG YI on InteGrity and Loyalty 7 A YounG Lady on Yellow PonGee Silk 41 Ruan JI on Apocalypse 65 Tao Qian on His Deathbed 97 Xie LinGyun on AwakeninG 127 Composed on the VerGE of Unnatural Death 159 EpiloGue: The Fisherman in Reclusion 187 works cited 209 Index 229 contents vii Timeline ca. 2100–ca. 1600 bc Xia Dynasty ca. 1600–ca. 1050 bc Shang Dynasty ca. 1046–256 bc Zhou Dynasty Western Zhou (ca. 1046–771 bc) Eastern Zhou (ca. 771–256 bce) Spring and Autumn Period (770–ca. 475 bc) Warring States Period (ca. 475–221 bc) 221–206 bc Qin Dynasty 206 bc–ad 220 Han Dynasty Western/Former Han (206 bc–ad 9, 23–25) Xin Dynasty (9–23) Eastern/Later Han (25–220) 220–589 Six Dynasties Period Three Kingdoms (220–265) Wei (220–265); Shu Han (221–263); Wu (222–280) Jin Dynasty (265–420) Western Jin (265–316) Northern and Southern Dynasties (386–589) Southern Dynasties: Eastern Jin (317–420), Liu Song (420–479), Qi (479–502), Liang (502–558), Chen (557–589) 581–618 Sui Dynasty 618–907 Tang Dynasty 907–960 Five Dynasties 960–1279 Song Dynasty Northern Song (960–1127) Southern Song (1127–1279) 1279–1368 Yuan Dynasty 1368–1644 Ming Dynasty 1644–1912 Qing Dynasty 1912–1949 Republic Period 1949–present People’s Republic of China viii contents preface and acknowledgements ix Preface and AcknowledGements The contents of this book have been inspired by my adventures over the last decade or so. The name of the book, “Considering the End,” was remi- niscent of the vicissitudes I experienced along the way. During the long process of rewriting and revision, frequent scenes from my past were replayed to remind me how I embarked on and continued the research. Two stand out. In early September 2000, on a most dismal journey from Columbus, Ohio, to San Diego, California, with my wife and son in our old car loaded with household belongings, we passed through Boulder, Colorado. Notified of my arrival, Professor Paul W. Kroll drove overnight from Minnesota (where he had just dropped off his own son at college) for a brief reunion fourteen months after my graduation. In our conversation, I likened myself to Wang Bo 王勃 (650–75?), a Tang poet who suffered from political setbacks, journeyed to the far south, and ended his life there. With similar disappointment I was on my way Down Under, to take up a position at the University of Sydney. Professor Kroll responded, “No, this is not an apt analogy—you will not be dying there!” Despite the unflagging spiritual and academic support he lent me in the years follow- ing, my sky seemed shrouded even under the Californian and Australian sun. During these years, I started revisiting my favourite writers from an eschatological perspective. I first found Tao Qian, who knew well the situ- ation of facing adversity (窮 qiong) in his career. The next unforgettable scene was a casual chat with my wife Zhang Hong at Strathfield train sta- tion in Sydney. Heaving a deep sigh, she compared our sojourning life with a dream, a realm to which we could no longer return. We talked of how life unfolds, and I explained to her the idea of kalpa in Buddhist cos- mology. That conversation formed an important framework for my chap- ter on Ruan Ji, which subsequently yielded new insights for my reading of Xie Lingyun’s poetry. Xie sought enlightenment and understanding throughout his career, but his life ended in tragedy. When I picked up the Chuci again, ‘summoning the soul’ and ‘the fisherman’ assumed new meanings, which opened up further paths of exploration for me. The actual work on this book began in 2002, and the writing proper has since travelled to many corners of the world and undergone numerous x preface and acknowledgements revisions. Most of the chapters were initially presented, in early versions, as conference papers in the United States, Australia, and Hong Kong. Here I would like to express my gratitude to my two mentors, Professors Ge Xiaoyin and Paul W. Kroll, for their work with me at Peking University and the University of Colorado respectively. For the present project, their guidance has been of foremost significance. In December 2003, Professor Ge invited me to participate in a conference on the literature and reli- gions of the Han, Wei, and Northern and Southern Dynasties periods, held at Hong Kong Baptist University. This conference provided me with a new vision of medieval Chinese literature and prompted me to be aware of relevant religious backgrounds when reading literary texts. Professor Kroll brought me to the fields of Daoist and Buddhist studies, in addition to prompting deeper analysis of classical Chinese literature. These skills became a foundation for broad, interdisciplinary visions and insights for my scholarship. I am also grateful for his close reading of the manuscript and numerous suggestions for revision. My gratitude also goes to the following colleagues who gave valuable feedback on early drafts of different chapters, on specific arguments, or even choices of words: David R. Knechtges, Donald Holzman, Ralph J. Hexter, Derek Herforth, Barbara Hendrischke, and Michael Schimmel- pfennig. Robert Gimello and Jan Nattier generously shared their expertise in Buddhist studies. The anonymous readers of the manuscript are thanked for their feedback and criticism, which prompted me to recon- sider problematic arguments, structure, style, and format in early drafts. I alone, however, am responsible for all remaining errors. Various sources of funding and research programs lent significant sup- port to the project. During my years at the University of Sydney, I received several grants under different schemes from the Faculty of Arts, College of Humanities and Social Science, and School of Languages and Cultures. These funds enabled me to conduct research and present early drafts at conferences from 2002 to 2004. The one semester of leave under the Special Study Program (i.e., ‘sabbatical leave’) that I took from July to December 2004, which came with a travel grant, offered essential support for the research. The most recent funding I received from Hong Kong Baptist University under the ‘Faculty Research Grant, Category I’ scheme gave an important boost in the final stage of the project. In conjunction with my Special Study Program leave in 2004, I held a five-month Visiting Scholar position at the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures, Harvard University. I thank Stephen Owen and Wilt Idema for their sponsorship and Susan Kashiwa for coordinating this preface and acknowledgements xi program, which facilitated my access to excellent resources and services at the Harvard libraries. This book could not have been completed without support from many friends and colleagues. Tyler Pike played a pivotal role in the final preparation of the manuscript. He deserves my special thanks for his editorial work and research assistance. Others who have helped in vari- ous important ways include Helen Dunstan, Robert Ashmore, Stephen West, Mabel Lee, Zhao Yi, Hidemi Tokura, John Makeham, Scheherazade Rogers, Stephan Kory, Matthew Carter, Sue Wiles, Lily Hayashi, Jennifer Wong, Nick Williams, Helen Riha, Merrick Lex Berman, and Minae Savas. Most crucial of all in the final stages has been the assistance and support of Dr. Albert Hoffstädt, Ms.