The Polish Journal of Aesthetics Vol. 32 (1/2014) Marina Kravtsova* On Poetic Discourses and Ways of Expression of ‘Empty’ and ‘Silence’ Categories in the Chinese Lyric Poetry of Six Dynasties (Liu Сhao, III–VI A.D.) and Tang (VII–X) Epochs Abstract The written Chinese language has a broad scale of lexical meanings for articulating the ‘empty’ and ‘silence’ categories in all their essential aspects. The present study is limited to a discussion of the kong 空 cognitive term, in its single semantic case only, as ‘empty’ (‘emptiness’), coinciding normally with ‘silence’ (ji 寂, jing 靜); and of two poetic scenar- ofios, Wang which Wei can 王維 be roughly defined as ‘dwelling in empty mountains’ and ‘dwelling in [an] withempty the chamber.’ individual The verses first ofof thesethe second is most century typical A.D. of Tang In this lyric paper poetry, I argue especially that in spitethe works of all (ca 701‒ca 761); the second, of poetry on amorous themes beginning social existence, the other representing living alone as loneliness, i.e. having an utterly essential differences between these scenarios ‒ one praising living alone as escaping from- - plyingnegative the sense ‘cutting ‒ both off’ ofare sensory grounded perception at bottom in favouron ancient of self-concentration, views of vision and which audial leads per to ception. Their archetypical background is formed by the idea of spiritual movement, im- nal things. Above all, the ‘empty’ and ‘silence’ categories appear to universally express the abundancethe sharpening of one’s of receptive surroundings faculties and for inner gaining conditions, keener and including keener mentalityperception and of allfeelings, exter which places these categories among the chief artistic techniques of Chinese lyric poetry. Key words China, lyric poetry, poetic means, sensory perception, audial, visual, ‘empty,’ ‘silence,’ spiritual movement, self-concentration, verses with eremitic motifs, verses on amorous themes, Taoism, Buddhism * Saint Petersburg State University, Russia Department of Philosophy and Culture of Orient Email: [email protected] Marina Kravtsova 16 The written Chinese language has a broad scale of lexical meanings for articulating the ‘empty’ and ‘silence’ categories in all their essential facets. This study is limited to a discussion of the kong 空 cognitive term in its single semantic case as ‘empty’ (‘emptiness’), coinciding normally (Luo 1991: 409) with ‘silence’ (ji 寂, jing 靜); and of two poetic scenar- kong is applied, if considered in termsios, which of the can poetic be roughly surface, defined to spatial as ‘dwellingdistinctions in ofempty the narration mountains’ and and to the‘dwelling entourage in [an] of emptythe poem’s chamber.’ protagonist. In both, The motif of dwelling in kong mountains or another, more local, natu- ral place, usually a forest (lin 林), is most typical of Tang lyric poetry, par- 王維 鹿柴 ticularly of the works of Wang Wei (ca 701‒cajueju 761). 絕句 Among), grouped them, in the most notable for this analysisWangchuan is the famous ji 輞川集 ʻLu zhai’ (Wang (‘DeerRiver collec Park’)- tion),poem, created the fifth during of twenty the Tianbao pentametric 天寶 quatrains ( 1 and, as Wang’s pref- acethe explains,likewise 2very on his well-known Wangchuan country estate,3 each poem in a particu- era (742‒56) lar spot空山不見人 within, 但聞人語響 the place.. ‘Lu返景入深林 zhai’ reads:, 復照青苔上 voice; / Returning light enters the deep forest, / Again shining upon the green moss.On the (transl. empty bymountain, Richard W,seeing Bodman no one, & Victor / Only H. hearing Mair: Mair the 2000:echoes 92) of someone’s - tic or essential simplicity (insofar as the notion of ‘simple’ can generally be appliedUpon first to Chinesereading, poetry),the poem giving provides the anillusion impression that it ofis eitherno more linguis than - - a masterfully executed landscape miniature, reflecting, certainly, the po et’s mood (longing to be a recluse), and the perceptive specifics of his per sonal nature (including aesthetic insight), but lacking a true deep core 1 TheOn this Wangchuan period of ji Wang’s original life, text his is internal presented conditions in many andChinese creative editions, activities ongoing see: fromLiu 2002:2 the Chapter 73‒85. (Juan 卷 Quan Tang shi 全唐詩 (Complete Tang Poems) compendium, compelled at the beginning of 1700s by a numerous group of experts under the leadership of Peng) 128 Dingqiu from the 彭定求 - In the foothills south of Changan 長安, the(1645‒1719), Tang imperial and capital, several at times the place repub of modernlished3 in Xian China, 西安 including: city, Shaanxi Peng 1999:陝西 province.II, 1300‒1301. On Poetic Discourses and Ways of Expression... 17 beneath its surface, along with any additional required expositions. (e.g. brief commentaries and explanations, or even entirely without, (e.g. Mair You 1981: II, 41) No wonder that it could have been published with only (in terms of tonal patterns) and linguistic perfection of the Tang ‘recent style’2000: (92)jin-ti or 近體 that it is sometimes taken merely as a sample of the formal- ) lyric poetry. (e.g. Liu 1962: 41; Yu 1985: 199) The ap- ditionsparent simplicityhave been of published ‘Lu zhai’ isin oneEnglish, of several French possible and other reasons European it attracts lan- guages.translators.4 (Kroll 2001: 295) About 30 (or even more) alternative ren ‘Deer Fence,’ ‘The Form of Deer,’ etc.), and authored by scholars as well as professional Under poets, different they vary titles from (‘Dear near-literal Enclosure,’ translations ‘Deer-Park to Hermitage,’ variations on a theme. 5 6 changed considerably in the direction of recognition of its semantic rich- ness.Over Evaluations the past predominantfew decades, inscholarly current Chineseapproaches7 and to Western the poem studies have 8 the most important from the Wang River collection and introduces us to can be condensed into the following summary. First, the ‘Lu zhai’ poem is- phasis on perceptual and cognitive limitations, transcendence of tempo- some of the key modes of consciousness of the poet’s entire oeuvre: em 4 The most concentrated amount of these renditions is given at: Weinberger & Paz 1987. On English translations of Wang’s verses after 1980s see: Yu 2012: 91‒92. There- are also several renditions of ‘Lu zhai’ in Russian, made by A. Gitovich (1909‒1966) and A. Shteinberg (1907‒1984), in the first hand, published and republished in vari ous editions,5 see: Sorokin 1986: 117‒122. E. g. ‘On the empty mountains no one can be seen, / But human voices are heard to resound. / The reflected sunlight pierces the deep forest / And falls again upon the mossy6 ground.’ (transl. by James J. Y. Liu: Liu 1962: 41) E. g. ‘Deep in the mountain wilderness / Where nobody ever comes / Only once in a great while / Something like the sound of a far off voice. / The low rays of the sun / Slip through the dark forest, / And gleam again on the shadowy moss.’ (‘Deep in the Mountain Wilderness’, transl. by Kenneth Rexroth, 1905‒1982, in: WeinbergerWangchuan & jiPaz in 1987:7 22) On the Chinese studies since the 1980s of Wang’s poetry and concrete in the aspect of its philosophical implications and spiritual background see: overtonesLü &8 Zhang (starting 2003: II, with 735‒759. connotations of its title with the name of the site near Benares The Western revisions of ‘Lu zhai,’ including arguments in favor of its Buddhist- where the Buddha preached his first sermon after becoming enlightened), are summa rized best of all in: Yu 2012: 87‒88. Marina Kravtsova 18 ral and spatial distinctions, and a sense of the harmony of the individual - ceptions with far-ranging Buddhist, Chan-Buddhist (Buddhism’s south- ernand nature.branch, Second,Nan-Chan it links zong keenly 南禪宗 observed),9 and Taoist and deceptively implications. simple10 Third, per kong is the crucial word of the text, used by Wang in its Buddhist meaning śūnyatā - ditions, denoting the illusory or ‘empty’ nature of all reality and the ulti- mateas a translation reality; the of word the Sanskritembodies word natural ‘silence’, a key and term ‘emptiness.’ in Buddhist Within tra Chinese scholarship the kong shan binome is also commonly recognised as representing the exterior of empty and silent mountains and forests (kongji de shanlin 空寂的山林 - : Tao 2004: 162); or a more composite pic questionture of an of evening the connotations landscape becomingof kong in immersedterms of visual in darkness and audial and percep silence- tion,after whichthe sunset. deserves (Liu, to Tian be an and item Wang of special 1988: inquiry. 351) Thus we come to the The idea of visual and audial perception as the basis for human sen- Zhou 周 epoch, ninth to third centuries B.C.) thought, where it is realised in two variant models related to Confucianism sitivity goes back to ancient ( wu shi 五事: and Taoism. The first is offeredHongfan in the frame洪範 of the theory of - ter‘five of personal the classical matters,’ Shujing (Legge 2004: II, 110) or ‘Five Duties,’ (Nylan 1992: 16) initially narrated by the Shang shu, Hallowed (Great Plan) Documents). treatise, Currenta chap scholarship (reversing the traditionalbook (Documents, chronological Book orderof History, and challenging or Book of theDocuments; authenticity also of known Shujing as asthe a record of high antiquity11) would date the compilation of Hongfan chapter roughly to the fourth century B.C. 2001: 137) Hongfan’s Section (Nylan 2 are: mao 貌, ‘bodily demeanor’; yan 言, ‘speech’; shi 視, ‘seeing’ or ‘vision’; ting The five personal matters spoken about in the 9 On Southern Chan impact on Wang’s poetry see, for example: Ge 1993: 240‒241;Wang- chuanSu 2007:10 ji and 183‒185. Taoist correlations of kong are mostly accurate argued in: Qiao & Chen The Taoist influence on Wang Wei and his woks, Taoist implications of 2000:11 I, 326‒327.