ISSN 1923-1555[Print] Studies in Literature and Language ISSN 1923-1563[Online] Vol. 10, No. 3, 2015, pp. 83-88 www.cscanada.net DOI:10.3968/6741 www.cscanada.org Studies on the Differences Between Chinese and Western Nature Poems LIU Ling[a],* [a]School of Foreign Languages, Zhongnan University of Economics and existed in the human history, only three have developed Law, Wuhan, China. understanding and appreciation of nature, which include * Corresponding author. the Chinese civilization, Western civilization and Indian Received 6 September 2014; accepted 11 February 2015 civilization (Luo & Bai, 1996, p.63). Among the three Published online 25 March 2015 civilizations, India shows limited understanding and appreciation, while Chinese and Western civilization show great appreciation of nature and even make artistic Abstract creation of nature. Nature poems are the result of artistic Poetry is an important part in culture, which therefore is creation. The comparison study on Chinese and Western the indispensable object for cultural research. Either in nature poems is of great significance to the comparison the East or West, poetry has displayed great charm. Since study of Chinese and Western literature. Despite the poetry is a broad concept, including various categories, fact that both Chinese and Western nature poems regard this paper gives special focus to nature poems, with the nature as the aesthetic object, they are different. Chinese purpose of exploring the differences between Chinese and Western nature poems have their own development and Western culture through the comparative study of path, and have differences in themes, images and poet- Chinese and Western nature poems. Three parts are nature relationship. These differences are closely related included in this paper, with part one introducing the to the different religious culture, aesthetic concept and development of Chinese and Western nature poems, part philosophical idea of the Chinese and Western civilization. two demonstrating the differences in themes, images and poet-nature relationship, and part three exploring causes behind the differences from the perspective of religion, 1. THE DEVELOPMENT OF NATURE aesthetic concept and philosophical idea. POEMS Key words: Comparative study on Chinese and Both Chinese and Western nature poems regard nature as Western poetry; Nature poems; Development; Differences; the major aesthetic object, which however have different Causes development process. Either for the Chinese or Western civilization, the nature poem is a late comer in the poetry Liu, L. (2015). Studies on the Differences Between Chinese and Western Nature Poems. Studies in Literature and Language, 10(3), 83-88. history. As Zhu Guangqian wrote, “in both China and the Available from: http://www.cscanada.net/index.php/sll/article/view/6741 West, poets’ love for nature develops late and poets are DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3968/6741 inclined to focus on mundane matters rather than nature. Even when they mention nature in the poems, nature serves as the background rather than the focus” (p.113). Nature poems, also called pastoral poems, do not refer Although both Chinese and Western nature poems are the to poems that describe nature or landscapes but poems late-comers in the poetry history, Chinese nature poems in which nature or landscapes act as the major aesthetic develops earlier than Western nature poems. objects. As a major category of poetry, nature poems play an important role in both Chinese and Western 1.1 The Development of Chinese Nature Poems literature. As the British historian, Arnold Joseph Toynbee In Chinese poetry history, the nature poem is a late pointed out, among the twenty-six civilizations that have comer. In The Classic of Poetry of 6 BC, various subject 83 Copyright © Canadian Academy of Oriental and Occidental Culture Studies on the Differences between Chinese and Western Nature Poems matters such as society, politics, history, war and love Spenser (1552-1599) and Christopher Marlowe (1564- are mentioned while nature is not included. However, it 1593) continued the creation of nature poems, promoting is worth mentioning that although nature poems are not the further development of nature poems. However, in included in early poems, natural awareness can be found the 17th and 18th century, European feudalism relapsed, out. Taking The Classic of Poetry as an example, nature and humanism advocated by the Renaissance was poems are not included while description of nature or subjected to neoclassicism. In this case, the development landscapes can be easily found out. With the development of nature poems suspended. It is not until the late 18th of natural awareness, poems describing nature increase century that the Enlightenment movement advocated by greatly, promoting the development of natural ideas such the bourgeoisie as well as the Romanticism movement as Taoism’s unity of man and nature. These natural ideas, enabled the second liberation of human, contributing to in turn, enhance the development of natural awareness, the upsurge of returning to the nature. Thus, the creation thus contributing to more descriptions of nature in of nature poems continued with the emergence of great Western Han and Eastern Han Dynasties. natural poets like William Wordsworth (1770-1850). It is Till the Eastern and Western Jin Dynasties, natural also in this period that Western nature poems were finally awareness develops into the natural literature, manifested formed and eventually set its place in the Western poetry by the mass creation of nature poems. The representative history. With the further development of the Romanticism poets during this period include Tao Yuanming of 4 AD movement, more great natural poets emerged, including and Xie Lingyun of 6 AD. Since Xie Lingyun is the first George Gordon Byron (1788-1824), Percy Bysshe Shelley poet who is mainly devoted to the creation of nature (1792-1822) and John Keats (1795-1821). Therefore, poems and has produced a great number of nature poems, compared to Chinese nature poems, Western nature poems the Chinese academia considers the emergence of Xie develop later. Bagley, father of British pastoral poems, Lingyun as the formation of Chinese nature poems. Since is 1,100 years later than China’s Tao Yuanming, while then, nature poems develop rapidly with representative Wordsworth, founder of British nature poems, is 1,300 natural poets emerging in every period. In particular, poets years later than China’s Xie Lingyun. in Tan and Song Dynasty such as Wang Wei and Meng Besides, compared to Chinese nature poems, Western Haoran promote nature poems to a new height with the nature poems do not develop steadily, which tend to production of a great amount of famous nature poems. It be intermittent. During the one and two centuries after is in this period that nature poems finally sets its place in Bagley, Spencer and Marlowe, there is no production of the poetry history. Later in Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasty, nature poems. It is not until the emergence of poets like the creation of nature poems is even considered as the Blake and Wordsworth during the romanticism period great entertainment. that the continuous creation of nature poems came true. To conclude, despite the fact that nature poems develop Moreover, either in the number of natural poets or nature late in Chinese poetry history, natural awareness develops poems, the West lags behind China. Nevertheless, Western early, which, combined with the promotion of natural nature poems do witness great poets like Wordsworth and ideas, finally contribute to the rapid development of nature great nature poems. poems. Since the Western Han and Eastern Han Dynasties, To conclude, Western nature poems have embraced nature poems develop steadily, which never lag behind and great achievements since its formation. Compared to even surpass such poetry category as love poetry. Chinese nature poems, Western nature poems develop later with intermittence, and the number of poets and 1.2 The Development of Western Nature Poems poems lag behind that of Chinese poets and poems. Like Chinese nature poems, Western nature poems are also the late comer in its poetry history. As early as 5 BC, the West has witnessed the emergence of great poets and 2. DIFFERENCES IN CHINESE AND dramatists as well as the great varieties of subject matters, WESTERN NATURE POEMS including society, politics, war, family, etc. However, Due to different cultural background, Chinese and Western there is not one subject matter that focuses on nature. nature poems take their own characteristics. In spite of Both as the late comers, Western nature poems regarding nature as the major aesthetic object, Chinese develop even later than Chinese nature poems. The 14th and Western nature poems present different views. In and 15th century have seen the collapse of European face of the same nature, different charm is displayed by feudalism and the budding of capitalism. At that time, the Chinese and Western nature poems, which are mainly, Renaissance campaign led by the bourgeoisie liberated represented in three aspects, namely, themes, images and human, enabling poets to gain the freedom of creation, poet-nature relationship. thus promoting the emergence of works describing nature. At that time, Bagley (1475-1552) led the creation 2.1 Themes of nature poems, who therefore is noted as the father of Nature poems are the combination of the poet’s subjective British pastoral poets. Later, more poets such as Edmund emotions and the objective nature, the themes of which Copyright © Canadian Academy of Oriental and Occidental Culture 84 LIU Ling (2015). Studies in Literature and Language, 10(3), 83-88 are of great varieties, not limited to the description of nature poems cannot leave the theme of love. In nature nature (Chen, p.112). Chinese and Western poetry have poems, love is often reflected through nature. Taking something in common in the themes such as appreciation Wordsworth’s Lucy as an example, the beauty of the girl of nature, seclusion, individual fate, life thoughts, etc.