LI SHANGYIN: THE POETRY OF ALLUSION By TERESA YEE-WAH YU B.A., The University of Hong Kong, 1973 M.A., The University of British Columbia, 1977 A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY in THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES (Asicin Studies) We accept this thesis as conforming to the required standard THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA August 1990 (o) Teresa Yee-wah Yu, 1990 In presenting this thesis in partial fulfilment of the requirements for an advanced degree at the University of British Columbia, I agree that the Library shall make it freely available for reference and study. 1 further agree that permission for extensive copying of this thesis for scholarly purposes may be granted by the head of my department or by his or her representatives. It is understood that copying or publication of this thesis for financial gain shall not be allowed without my written permission. Department of The University of British Columbia Vancouver, Canada Date DE-6 (2/88) ABSTRACT A major poet of the Tang period, Li Shangyin is highly regarded yet criticized because his work is densely allusive. Dazzling and rich in meaning, it is also difficult and obscure because of its pervasive allusiveness. Chapter I reviews critical opinion of Li's use of allusion. Many traditional critics see allusion as an ornamental rhetorical device and consider Li's profuse allusiveness an idiosyncrasy to be tolerated in an esteemed poet. Chapter II studies allusion broadly and precisely as a literary concept: generally, allusion is a "connector" of texts, a link between a poet's work and his literary heritage; specifi• cally, it is a linguistic device serving metaphorical functions. Allusion viewed as extended metaphor generates multiple meanings. An approach to reading allusion is here developed, to interpret allusive texts on literal, allegorical, and symbolic levels. The chapter concludes that it is a misconception to say that the heavy use of allusion necessarily leads to inferior poetry. Chapter III relates Li's allusions to major motifs in his work, finding that his historical and mythological allusions fall into clusters and patterns. The profusion of mythological allusions yields symbolic meanings, both in individual poems and in the larger context of his collected works. Examining Li's characteristic use of allusion, the chapter shows how it func• tions as a major stylistic signature and is the principal reason for the plurisignation and ambiguity in his poetry. Chapter IV interprets several typical poems by Li Shangyin in the context of the theoretical and historical framework of the foregoing chapters. It highlights some of the major functions of allusion in these poems. A positive response to the plurisig- nation of Li's allusive mode allows for an inclusive critical approach to diverse interpretations and discards those readings failing the standards of consistency, coherence, and complete• ness . Chapter V concludes that Li's presumed vice is his virtue: his allusive texture makes his work difficult but gives it a rewarding richness. His unique use of allusion is organic. Far from being a mere ornamental device, allusion is the very poetry itself. He creates his own poetic mode, the Poetry of Allusion. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER I Introduction 1 CHAPTER II On Allusion The Psychology of Allusion 11 Allusion as a Literary Concept 21 Setting the Terras 22 Allusion as Metaphor 28 The Reading of Allusion 34 On ge and buge and the Use of Allusion 38 CHAPTER III Li Shangyin and His Use of Allusion Background to Li's Use of Allusion 49 Allusion and the Poetic World of Li Shangyin 68 Allusion and Plurisignation 106 Distinctive Features and Strategies 140 CHAPTER IV Characteristically Allusive Poems: An Interpretive Study "Intricately-Painted Zither" 163 "Emerald Walls" 176 "The Jade Pool" 197 "Peonies" 202 "The Maoling Mausoleum" 209 "Five Casual Pieces" 218 Chapter V Conclusion 237 V APPENDIX (I) Li Shangyin: A Chronology 242 (II) Chinese Texts 246 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS 261 NOTES 263 BIBLIOGRAPHY 325 vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS My primary debt is to Professor C.Y. Yeh Chao, whose scholarship and insight inspired me to read Chinese poetry. Her sensitive response to the work of Li Shangyin kindled my interest in his work and guided me through this study. I am grateful to Professors E.G. Pulleyblank and Jerry Schmidt for their generous and helpful comments on my work. I should also like to thank Professor Chen Yixin of Peking University for his thoughtful and ready response to my inquiries. Professor James Hightower has more than my deep gratitude for kindly giving me the benefit of his profound scholarship in his consistently detailed criticism of ray work. I also wish to thank Professor F.H. Candelaria for his unfailing good humor and editorial advice. vi i EXPLANATORY NOTE The text used in this study is Fen Hao' s y.^J edition of Li Shangyin's poetry: Yuxisheng Shiji Jianzhu ^Xjj' ' e<*ited & annotated by Feng Hao. 1763. Shanghai: Classical Texts Publishing Press, 1979. 2 vols. Each poem cited in full in the text will be given its page number in Feng Hao under the abbreviation, FH, followed by the appro• priate number. The Chinese texts of Li's poems, if cited in full, are found in Appendix II. Chinese texts of parts of poems are provided in the footnotes. 3. The Beijing Pinyin System is used for the romanization of Chinese names, titles and terms. When a book or article is cited which uses the Wade-Giles system of transcription, the title is given in its original form. Passages quoted from books or articles using Wade-Giles spelling will, however, be converted into pinyin. 4. Character scripts for all Chinese names, titles and terms are given in the text, immediately after their pinyin transcriptions. Except for Emperor Xuanzong and XuSnzong , all other pinyin spellings are followed by Chinese script only the first time they occur in the text. All English translations of official titles are based on Charles Hucker's A Dictionary of Official Titles in Imperial China. Standford University Press, 1985. Chapter I Introduction Generally considered to be the leading poet in the late Tang, and one of the finest in the history of Chinese poetry, Li (813-858)1 unique vision, sensitivity and his colorful, intricate use of language all help to set him apart from other major poets so that he occupies a very special place in Chinese literary history.2 Despite this recognition, however, Li remains today one of the most difficult and con• troversial Chinese poets. One bewildering phenomenon surrounding Li Shangyin's poetry is the diversity of its interpretations and the many conflicting responses it generates in its critics and readers. It is not unusual to find half a dozen very different, even divergent readings of the same poem in his collection. Often, within a single poem, such interpretations can range from a reading of the piece as an appeal for political patronage, a documentation of his romantic liaison with Daoist nuns, a satire on the love life of Tang princesses, a reference to certain political situations in the court, to a critical comment on the Tang emperors' futile pursuit of immortality. While some critics do offer different interpretations for different poems, most are inclined to read his pieces based on certain preferred schools of interpretation, to the exclusion of other readings.3 Apart from interpretation, other aspects of Li Shangyin's 2 poetry have received similarly mixed responses. Poets such as Bai Juyi "fej ^) (772-846), Wang Anshi i ^jk %Z (1021- 1086), Yuan Yishan /£j ( 1190-1257), traditional critics such as Wu Qiao , He Zhuo >f^f ( 1661-1722), Weng Fanggang ^I^J ( 1733-1818), among others, are said to have enjoyed his work and thought very highly of his poetry.4 He Zhuo, for example, describes Li's poetry as "filled with rhythms and turns, sounds and colors, feelings and tastes," rating him highly above that of Du Mu jfa (803-852 ).5 Zhu Heling , in the preface to his annotation of Li Shangyin's poetry, writes, "Li's poetry has the resonance of the ancient airs and the echoes of Qu Yuan^ ^ and Song Yu^i.', for he has grasped what is most profound in Du Fu ^sjl jj^J and yet created something of his own."6 Feng Hao V^i? i too, thinks that Li's poetry is "dazzling in its colors, sonorous in its tones, complex in its constructions and profound in its meanings."7 On the other hand, however, Li's poetry has been typically criticized as being "too ambiguous and difficult."8 It has also been described as "not having one word to do with the governing of State, not having any thoughts of moral encouragement."9 He is the "talented philanderer" whose poetry is read "in the same way as Xu Ling' s /(^"* T^t, Yutai Xinyong j£.v <2 and Han Wo ' sjj^j. 'I Jh. Xianlian Ji are read."10 Clearly, these critics are taking a moralistic ap• proach, at the same time ignoring any allegorical or symbolic readings of his poetry. This approach to Li's work even carries 3 over to some contemporary Marxist critics. In his evaluation of Li Shangyin, for example, Wang Shiqing jjl thinks that Li's poetry may have "relatively high artistic achievements," but many of the emotions found in his poetry are "unhealthy" and should be "discarded."11 A principal reason for the many diverse interpretations and mixed responses to Li's poetry lies, I believe, in his use of allusion. Li Shangyin has left behind a fairly large body of poems, totalling about six hundred.12 Written often on a non- realistic plane, his poems are evocative and sensuously daz• zling.13 They reveal an artistic vision that takes us to realms of delicate beauty and subconscious emotions.