MASARYK UNIVERSITY Faculty of Arts China Studies Seminar Bachelor‘s Thesis 2018 Petra Zigáčková MASARYK UNIVERSITY Faculty of Arts China Studies Seminar Petra Zigáčková The Life and Work of the Tang Poet Li He Bachelor‘s Thesis Supervisor: Assoc. Prof. Lucie Olivová, MA, Ph.D., DSc. Brno 2018 I hereby declare that the submitted thesis is the result of my own original independent work. All references have been properly cited and acknowledged. ………………………… Acknowledgement I would like to give special thanks to my supervisor, Assoc. Prof. Lucie Olivová, MA, Ph.D., DSc., for the professional and patient guidance she has been providing me with throughout the whole process of writing the thesis. Anotace Cílem této práce je představení čínského básníka Li He žijícím v období panování dynastie Tang. Li He se proslavil díky svému jedinečnému básnickému stylu, reprezentovaným především v básních ve starém stylu gushi a básních ve stylu lidových písní yuefu. Práce seznamuje s básníkovým životem a poté se zaměřuje na jeho básnickou tvorbu. Básníkův styl s označením changji ti je analyzován z hlediska jeho formálních a stylistických kvalit. Z dochovaných básní básníka Li He je hlubší pozornost věnována jeho básním fantastickým, milostným, historickým, autobiografickým a básním, které Li He věnoval svým přátelům. Jednotlivé popisy typů tvorby jsou doplněny ukázkami. Tyto ukázky básní jsou interpretovány v kontextu básníkova života. V podkapitolách jsou stručně nastíněny oblíbené básnické žánry dynastie Tang a jejich představitelé. Také je věnována pozornost dílům a osobnostem, které ovlivnily tvorbu Li He, např. básníci Li Bai a Han Yu. V neposlední řadě je krátce zhodnocen básníkův odkaz a jeho přijetí veřejností. Klíčová slova čínská poezie, poezie dynastie Tang, Li He, changji ti, gushi, yuefu Abstract The thesis deals with the life and work of the Tang dynasty poet Li He. He was a creator of a unique literary style contradicting the trends of the time. Therefore, he did not enjoy much popularity and his work faced waves of criticism up until the Qing dynasty. Through primary sources such as Li He’s poetry, preface by the poet Du Mu and biography by the poet Li Shangyin and numerous secondary sources, the thesis unravels the story of the poet’s life and analyzes his poetic style. It also sets the historic and literary context by introducing Tang dynasty and its literary scene with the prevalent poetic forms and their representants. The thesis discovers that Li He was inspired by the Han dynasty anthology Chu Ci, namely by its mythological and shamanistic features, and by famous Tang poets such as Li Bai, Han Yu or Meng Jiao. Li He favored the ancient style poetry gushi, under the influence of Han Yu, and a folk song style poetry yuefu that flourished during the Tang dynasty. His poetry, dubbed changji ti, is distinctive by loosely linked images within the verses and tends to be pessimistic with the elements of terror. Many poets of the following dynasties pick up on this style, despite the occasional denouncement. The thesis serves as an introductory study of Li He on the Czech academic field. Key Words Chinese poetry, Tang dynasty poetry, Li He, changji ti, gushi, yuefu Table of Content: Introduction ..............................................................................................................................................8 Methodology ............................................................................................................................................9 1. Tang Literature ...................................................................................................................................11 1.1. The Introduction to Tang Dynasty ......................................................................................11 1.2. Literature ............................................................................................................................12 1.2.1. Tang Poetry .........................................................................................................13 1.2.1.1. Lüshi 律詩 ...........................................................................................13 1.2.1.2. Gushi 古詩 ..........................................................................................14 1.2.1.3. Yuefu 樂府 ..........................................................................................15 2. Li He 李賀 ..........................................................................................................................................17 2.1. Family Background and Upbringing ..................................................................................17 2.2. Education and Imperial Examinations ................................................................................18 2.3. Post–Examination Career ...................................................................................................21 2.4. Military Service and Death .................................................................................................22 3. Li He’s Literary Influences ................................................................................................................26 3.1. Chu Ci 楚辭 ........................................................................................................................26 3.2. Meng Jiao 孟郊 ..................................................................................................................28 3.3. Han Yu 韓愈 .......................................................................................................................29 3.4. Li Bai 李白 .........................................................................................................................30 4. Li He’s Poetry ....................................................................................................................................32 4.1. Poetic Forms .......................................................................................................................32 4.2. Stylistics of Changji Ti 長吉體 ..........................................................................................33 4.3. Themes ...............................................................................................................................36 4.3.1. Poems about Supernatural Beings and Occurrences ...........................................35 4.3.2. Historical Poetry .................................................................................................39 4.3.3. Love Poetry .........................................................................................................40 4.3.4. Dedicated Poems ................................................................................................41 4.3.5. Autobiographical Poems .....................................................................................42 5. Li He’s Reception and Legacy ...........................................................................................................47 Conclusion ..............................................................................................................................................49 Bibliography ...........................................................................................................................................51 Electronical Resources ...........................................................................................................................52 Other Sources .........................................................................................................................................55 Introduction The thesis introduces the life and work of the poet Li He 李賀 (790–816/817). He lived during the so called Mid–Tang dynasty period (765–835) and is an author of mainly ancient style poetry gushi 古詩 and a folk song style poetry yuefu 樂府. Although he was of a royal descent, his family branch was insignificant, therefore there are but a few accounts of him in contemporary documents. There were few brief biographies of Li He published, notably one written by the poet Li Shangyin 李商隱 (813–858). Around 240 pieces of Li He’s poetry were preserved, many of them serve as a valuable source of information about the poet’s life. From the few pieces of information we know that he once held an official post in the capital city Chang’an 長安 (present–day Xi’an 西安) and later joined the army in Luzhou 瀘州. In Chang’an he participated in the poetic group led by the poets Han Yu 韓愈 (768–824) and Meng Jiao 孟郊 (751–814), who significantly influenced his poetic style. Li He suffered poor health all his life and died of tuberculosis at the age of 26/27. The work presents Li He’s biography and analyzes formal and stylistic qualities of his poetry. It focuses on certain topical poetry, like fantastical or autobiographical. The work also aims to put Li He’s literary contribution into the perspective of the Tang dynasty. Therefore, it briefly outlines the literary styles and representatives of the dynasty, as well as literary pieces and figures influencing Li He. Finally, the work evaluates Li He’s legacy and public reception. The thesis is divided into five chapter. For reference purposes, I state the Chinese characters of proper nouns like the names of individuals, dynasties, literary works, geographical places such as counties and towns and terminology of Chinese poetry and relevant historical terms. I omit the Chinese characters of provinces. Throughout the thesis, I use the traditional